Looping faces: photos & interview

Tell us a bit about the brand and how it began.

I’ve always loved crocheting since I was 12, and knew that at some point I would refine my relationship with it. It was this weird urge I had to start frantically making in late 2021 that led to Looping Faces, which initially began as a playful space for me to create over the Summer in my home city, Singapore. But after participating in some art pop-ups in London, the brand started gaining momentum and I had a swarm of people reach out to me for custom designs. That was the point where Looping Faces became not just an outlet for me to push my creativity to the limit, but to also turn people’s imaginations into wearable art.

What inspired you to start making balaclavas in particular?

I was really sick of spending ridiculous amounts of time thinking of what to crochet in my free time. So scoping my works down to balaclavas just made sense since I could spend more time actually making. I made my first balaclava back in 2019 for a uni application, exploring balaclavas as powerful objects that both conceal and reveal identities through their designs. Balaclavas have such rich political and feminist histories that allow you to be multiple characters at once. Plus no one is gonna recognise who you are under the mask anyway, so I get free reign on making my designs as radical as possible!

Your designs are very unique and creative. Where do you look for inspiration?

Movies have always been a huge source of inspiration as they kind of help me visualise a world I want my balaclavas to exist in, setting the tone for my designs. Being in such a vibrant space like London also gives me so much inspiration; even just from people watching. I love understanding and reading my customers through their stories and work, using that to fuel my designs that accentuate their individual qualities. The creative people in my life are undeniably an immense source of inspiration to me. Seeing the work they produce and participating in creative conversations with them have helped me through my design process.

Which of your designs are your favourite and why?

It’s definitely got to be the Lovey Deer Bala. This was the first ever design I created under Looping Faces. It's a piece that makes me smile and makes everyone who sees it burst out laughing so it holds a special place in my heart for sure. I think it’s the standing stuffed deer ears that really get people going – myself included.

To us, Gen Z is redefining the fashion world with the swarm of young designers to have come out of lockdown. What are your opinions on this?

I think it’s absolutely wonderful how lockdown has given creatives the time and space to explore their craft in an independent way. It’s always great to see more people in the creative world, but I’ve also seen lots of people and companies plagiarising designs from independent designers and profiting unscrupulously during this rise which perhaps isn’t all that great. Keeping a sense of integrity in all the work you create positively feeds back into yourself as a designer and an individual.

What’s lined up for you next?

I’ve got a bunch of custom orders lined up and I’m so excited to get these ideas realised! I’m doing a concept shoot for a magazine in the next few weeks and I’m hoping to make a short film with a couple of talented mates to bring the balaclavas of Looping Faces to life through storytelling. Everything that has led up to this moment has been so surreal and I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have come by and the people I’ve met through Looping Faces. Ultimately, I just hope to keep this creative momentum going for as long as I can crochet