We Are the Market

Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery, together, form Sibling, a new men's knitwear line that produces the unexpected. Launched in May 2008, they describe the Sibling male as possessing one independent characteristic: a sense of humor. With intricate designs and boundary-pushing sweaters, Sibling was born out of a desire to give men's knitwear a "kick up the arse". With combined work experience at Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Lanvin, Jonathan Saunders and Bella Freud, Sibling also collaborates with various artists, illustrators, djs and musicians. Bates, Bryan and McCreery got together and provided some insight into the Sibling world.

Names: JOE BATES, SID BRYAN, COZETTE MCCREERY
Location: LONDON, UK
Company: SIBLING

Sibling, a new men's knitwear label is both bold and progressive. Launched in May 2008 - what was the idea behind launching SIBLING?

Even though we work within the industry, we all had an awful lot of surplus creative energy. Though we are paid for our opinions professionally there was still a need to have an outlet that was unfettered by others interpretations or philosophies. We wanted a product that was understandable in a capsule format, to be able to create a small body of work that still felt complete. Knit was an obvious option for us. When one of your three is the most sought after freelance creative knitwear designer and our studio is fully equipped for knit development it was basically a no-brainer.

What inspired your recent collection?

As any collection the inspirations are diverse. Creative inspirations come from our own lives and our surroundings. We specifically start with the thought “what would I love to wear?” but things are constantly jumping out at you. Be it a painting, a photograph or a fantastic vintage find. Finding inspirations are the easy part, making them into a collection of knitwear, that’s the tricky bit. We new we wanted to utilize the very best of traditional knit craft, to add colour and some fun.

For our next collection we have played with abstracting the silhouette of the conventional sweater shape, introducing form to the menswear market. We have attacked some iconic mens outerwear staples and translated them to knit. Very exciting.

Who do you see as the SIBLING male?

Someone with a sense of humor as well developed as his sense of style.

When you are not designing.....what else do you do to keep yourselves occupied?

Joe. Scouring auctions, books and T.V.

Cozette. DJ, co-host parties, dance,  listen to way to much music.

Sid. Walking the dog (Mycroft a Bull Terrier)

How did the three of you form SIBLING? Where did you meet?

Sid and Cozette met professionally when working for Bella Freud, lots of tea and giggles they quickly became friends. Joe met Sid at a fashion party, lots of champagne and disco twirls. Being in the industry we discussed fashion a lot. We felt that we could offer the marketplace something that was missing, exquisite, fun, statement knitwear and have some fun doing it.

The three of you have an extensive list of experience behind you. What various skills did you each bring to the table in order to launch SIBLING?

Our backgrounds, educationally and professionally, jigsaw very well for our business.
Between us we have expertise in all aspects we need.

Sid is a genius with stitch and process and has pieces exhibited in museums around the World. Cozette has, through years of experience and natural talent, a gift for organization, lateral thinking and has impeccable people skills as well as a design background. Joe is pure design and is very skillful with fast insightful design decisions and direction. However there should be no confusion, the stylistic vision is a collaborative process with elements and input from us all.

Why did you decide to name the line SIBLING? What meaning is behind it?

We decided on the name SIBLING because it sounded familiar and inclusive. It also reflected the way in which we work, very straightforward and democratic.

What is it about knitwear that you all have a passion for?

Everybody of our generation has some emotional connection to knitwear. Be it a favorite sweater as a child or watching your mum or granny knitting. To wrap up in your winter woolies, your school uniform sweater, cricket jumper it’s these feelings and memories that we are playing with.

Do you have any collaborations in the works? Also, who would be your dream person to collaborate with on a collection?

We recently collaborated with Norton & Sons of, Savile Row tailors producing a collection of intricately engineered hand knits and fur scarves. It was a joy that our first collaboration was with a company whose sole endeavor for the last 200 years has been to produce garments of the finest quality with no compromise on workmanship or materials. It was a perfect marriage as this reflected our philosophies exactly.
We have some great collaborations lined up but in the best tradition it is not done to talk of a project until it is finished and ready for release.

Are your creations strictly for the male demographic?

We design for men. The crossover appeal became very apparent very quickly, this is very flattering but is not at the moment something we are concerned with.

What is it about club-culture that has inspired your creations?

There is nothing directly inspirational about the club-culture that inspires apart from the youthful exuberance that cannot fail to impart some of its magic on you.

What role does London play in your collections?

Between us we have worked all over the globe but return to London as if homing pigeons. It is without question the most exciting, creative, fun place to be at the moment. How can this not have an effect on your work? We live right in the creative epicenter of London so are living, eating, breathing the inspirational vapors night and day.

Where do you see the SIBLING brand in 10 years?

To have developed the brand and presenting full lines of mens and womenswear on a world stage. Continuing with the ethos of quality, style and humor.

What's up next for the 3 of you.....?

We are at planning our presentation for next season. We are looking at Paris but have not ruled out staying in London.

This post is from We Are The Market.