Isabel
Lila Lovell
Robinson
About me
Details
Project Title: Newtown: Common Ground
Project Type: Textile Design / Knitted Bag Collection
Audience: Newtown Community
Location: Newtown, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
Materials: 100% Mercerised Cotton, 100% Saxton Merino Wool, 100% Cotton
Techniques: Machine Knitting, Colour Research, Textile Sampling
Machinery: Domestic Single-Bed and Double-Bed Knitting Machines, Kniterate Machine
Software: Kniterate Custom Coding System
Research Journal: Collage, Photography, Colour Studies and Visual Research
Designer: Isabel Robinson
Institution: Massey University, Bachelor of Design (Textile Design), 2026
Project Title: Newtown: Common Ground
Project Type: Textile Design / Knitted Bag Collection
Audience: Newtown Community
Location: Newtown, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
Materials: 100% Mercerised Cotton, 100% Saxton Merino Wool, 100% Cotton
Techniques: Machine Knitting, Colour Research, Textile Sampling
Machinery: Domestic Single-Bed and Double-Bed Knitting Machines, Kniterate Machine
Software: Kniterate Custom Coding System
Research Journal: Collage, Photography, Colour Studies and Visual Research
Designer: Isabel Robinson
Institution: Massey University, Bachelor of Design (Textile Design), 2026
Newtown: Common Ground
Newtown: Common Ground is a functional knitted bag collection inspired by the colours, people and everyday environments of Newtown, Wellington. Through walking, photography, observation and colour research, I explored my relationship with Te Taiao and how our surroundings shape a sense of place, belonging and community.
Drawing inspiration from Newtown’s colourful buildings, local markets, small businesses, street life and natural surroundings, I translated everyday observations into knitted structures, patterns and colour combinations. Using machine knitting as my primary medium, I developed a collection of bags designed to be used in everyday life, giving my textile experiments both purpose and function.
As a textile designer and tangata Tiriti, this project has encouraged me to reflect on my relationship with the environment I live in and the connections that form between people and place. Newtown: Common Ground celebrates the character, diversity and individuality of the neighbourhood, finding inspiration in the ordinary details that make a place feel unique.
Newtown: Common Ground is a functional knitted bag collection inspired by the colours, people and everyday environments of Newtown, Wellington. Through walking, photography, observation and colour research, I explored my relationship with Te Taiao and how our surroundings shape a sense of place, belonging and community.
Drawing inspiration from Newtown’s colourful buildings, local markets, small businesses, street life and natural surroundings, I translated everyday observations into knitted structures, patterns and colour combinations. Using machine knitting as my primary medium, I developed a collection of bags designed to be used in everyday life, giving my textile experiments both purpose and function.
As a textile designer and tangata Tiriti, this project has encouraged me to reflect on my relationship with the environment I live in and the connections that form between people and place. Newtown: Common Ground celebrates the character, diversity and individuality of the neighbourhood, finding inspiration in the ordinary details that make a place feel unique.