If you glean one thing from the world of fashion this year, make it this: that Yeezy Gap alum and Jorja Smith and Anderson Paak-approved designer Alicia Robinson is the new knitwear name to know.

Robinson’s three-year-old brand, AGR, which weaves together rainbow bursts of bright and kaleidoscopic colours with the flesh-flashing trend du jour, ticks all of the sartorial trend boxes of today with aplomb, and a roster of fashion favourites are already among its rapidly-growing following.

Despite having spent the majority of her brand’s existence in a global pandemic, AGR’s popularity has shown no signs of waning. According to the company, its sales climbed five-fold in 2020 and 122% last year, a testament to its rainbow wares and no thanks in part thanks to endorsements from Burna Boy and Jorja Smith. AGR was also a semi-finalist for the 2021 LVMH Prize, no small feat for a knitwear brand in the middle of a pandemic.

But it’s not the sprint of establishing a business that’s hard in fashion, but the marathon of sustaining its buzz and scaling it for success. That’s precisely where we meet Robinson, on the cusp of unfolding the greatness of AGR’s future, but with all of the excitement and froth that comes with a young creative.

We caught up with Robinson from AGR HQ in Bermondsey to chat all things fashion and what it’s really like being a founder. Here are her Designer Diaries. 

What does an average day look like for you?

Every day is different at AGR. But usually I get up, rush to our warehouse studio to dive in with the team. Depending on where we are at with collections or projects it can consist of research, a huge number of emails always, or my favourite, working with my assistant designer Nelly on the knitting machine. We are still a very close knit and reasonably small team which is really nice. It also means that we all eat lunch together, including the interns. Our studio always has a lot of people coming and going; from freelancers to Cappuccino, the dog next door, or even our DHL man Paul, it’s always very busy.

Do you have any daily rituals that get your creative juices flowing?

Listen to good tunes and have a fun vibe in the studio.

What was your journey into fashion?

My journey into fashion started with my mum and her creative flare. When I was little, she always encouraged me to sew and cross stitch, which I’m very grateful for now. I always thought it was cool that she made her own wedding dress and wanted to be like her. After school I did my foundation at Chelsea College of Art and then once I left, I interned for a long time with James Long making knitted show pieces and worked in a lot of bars and the well-known club, Visions. After that I started making a path as a freelance knitwear designer for lots of young brands and then also for the likes of Yeezy. In 2018, I decided to make lots of outfits for my friends for carnival which we then ended up making into a mini shoot, which was shot by my good friend Stephy Pocket. This shoot really started off AGR as a brand and off the back of it, SSENSE reached out to stock us with a capsule collection.

The following season we were picked up by Htown and Browns and then the following one we really blew up to 12 stockists worldwide and recently added another 15. Among our big collections, I think its key to do smaller projects and also collaborations. Recently this has included exclusives with Net-a-Porter and Nike by You: AGR activation, back in December. We are also now based in a 1400 sq. ft studio with our very own STOLL knitting machine, which means we are very self-sufficient when it comes to sampling and our path to sustainability.  

Did you have any fears about starting AGR?

Of course. It’s very daunting running a brand especially with no investment or prizes (so far). As a person, I have always been very determined to work hard and go above and beyond to get where I have though. Situations should be uncomfortable sometimes; if it feels easy you could always be doing more I think. There have been a lot of sleepless years but also a lot of partying along the way, it’s really important to make it fun, otherwise what’s the point? A big challenge currently is growing in the correct way and making it sustainable with an impeccable team.

Let’s say you’re prepping for a new piece – what’s the first step on your journey of designing it?

First steps would be research, yarn choice and then making little swatches to perfect tensions and stitch, before jumping into a full garment. 

Where do you turn for inspiration?

I love to visit galleries and just generally enjoying life. Taking trips to meet new people and places is the best kind of inspiration. My friends also really inspire me with their own fashion and little ways, they are like muses sometimes.

Fashion is a saturated industry – how do you cut through the noise?

I don’t tend to follow trends and am very confident in my decisions and designs. I think you need to have your own mind and not be swayed by other people’s opinions. AGR is very recognisable and has a clear signature vibe which many brands try to create for years, and we have done it in three.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice – what would it be?

Ask more questions and catch more flights.

What does the future for AGR hold?

The future holds exploring more innovative technology and jumping into more categories for our collections with hopefully an AGR show one day - who knows. Next month, we will also be holding workshops with Nike in Nike town for some lucky members. 

Shop AGR here.

Images: courtesy of AGR.