In the Loop: A conversation with crochet artist Alexandria Masse

In the 21st century, trends can emerge then disappear overnight. The pandemic steered more eyes to the internet and fast fashion, with its ties to influencers and links to quick online shopping. Brands can replicate fashion trends in almost real time, continually releasing new styles and collections. These trends cycle through eras; the cyclical nature of fashion allows trends to rise, fall, and eventually re-enter the mainstream years after their peak. Recently, an unexpected garment has resurfaced as trendy: the balaclava. 

The balaclava has typically existed on two ends of the fashion spectrum: as a fashion piece worn in the hip-hop scene — donned by rappers such as Kanye West and Travis Scott — or as an inconvenient mask your mom forced you to wear sledding as a child. However, in the past year, the balaclava has become a high-fashion must-have, with brands such as Jaquemus, Givenchy, and Stella McCartney adding the piece to their collections. But why now? 

It won’t come as much of a surprise that TikTok has played a key role. Its #balaclava has racked up over 500 million views, and if you browse the videos you’ll notice a related craze: crocheting. The pandemic has led to a surge in DIY knitwear. And the great thing about balaclavas? They double as a face covering. 

Crochet patterns are easily customizable, and you’ll notice that Gen Z have added their own twist to the simple balaclava. The traditionally black accessory has been transformed. It is no longer a plain ski mask, but a colourful statement piece. So where can you go to find one of these eye-catching hats? We reached out to Alexandria Masse, a Canadian designer whose eye-catching balaclavas would add spark to any wardrobe. Here’s what she had to say about her craft — and her recent popularity surge on TikTok.  

“My name is Alexandria Masse, I am 22 years old. I have been interested in textiles and fashion all my life; I did a lot of sewing as a kid. I used to knit and sew little outfits for my stuffed animals and take things apart so I could see how they were made. Everything inspires me.”

Although Masse’s platform is built off her love for crochet, she also posts her sewing, illustration, and sculpture projects on her website. The multi-disciplinary artist has illustrated multiple children’s books and designed a series of moth-inspired garments made using techniques that include rug tufting and quilting. 

“I would consider myself a sculptor, it’s just that I use textiles to sculpt. I do use a lot of other materials — I just don’t share everything online. I always keep a sketchbook with me. My ideas go in there and I refer back to it when I’m creating something.”

While studying at NSCAD University, she created a vibrant collection of moth-inspired garments for her final fashion project.

“For the moth collection I wanted to explore three different ways of fabric construction for the wings. For the rosy maple moth it was rug tufting, for the lunar moth it was quilting, and for the io moth it was faux fur. I love working with all three of these ways of construction. It was very challenging to make them into coats that could move with the body. I would love to do more things like this, but unfortunately it’s not what gets me paid online.”

Although Masse is talented in a wide variety of mediums, crochet is the talent that has raised her online profile. Crochet is popular — and also a versatile medium for her to experiment with. 

“Right now utilising crochet works best for my visions. I like to work with wool and dye it all on my own. Crochet allows me to do both. There are also no rules and no limits to the ways it can be manipulated. It’s not so much that crochet speaks to me most strongly — it’s more that it allows me to manipulate it — to create what I am imagining in my head. I like to layer things, dye things, attach things to each other with thread and build 3D forms. Crochet allows me to do all of those things easily in a way that’s blendable.”

While completing her studies at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Masse, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile and Fashion, discovered that the East Coast had some of the country’s best wool, which she could then dye using natural products. 

“One thing I liked about the East Coast was the accessibility to some great wool. There’s lots of goldenrod out there so I would harvest it on the side of the road and dye things with it.”

Masse has completed artist residencies in several countries. Residencies give artists time and space to work on their own projects, developing new ideas in an artist-friendly work environment. Last year, Masse undertook a textile residency in Iceland. While there, she created a collection of crochet pieces inspired by the scenery of Iceland, including star, moon, and sun headpieces and an elaborate Icelandic horse skirt. 

“My inspiration was going outside and looking at things. I went outside and saw the sun so I made a sun, I went outside and saw stars so I made a star. My goal was to experiment with construction, shape, form, and dyeing. When I travelled to Iceland, I only brought natural yarns and dyes. Since then, I have dyed all of my yarn.”

This year, Masse completed a month-long artist residency in Portugal. While there, she started a love confessions project; followers could submit their confessions, and she would crochet them into small tapestries. Confessions included: “I didn't know I could love until you” and “All I wanted was you”.

“I wanted to make a series of love confessions because I think they are relatable. I think being naive about love is something everyone can relate to, and there is a precious and intimate aspect to it. They’re often viewed as corny or sappy but I think that's important. It was also cool to see how many of these confessions were very similar.”

Masse has a history of dreaming up big and bold crochet projects. And the craziest one yet? Definitely the 10-foot spider she made for John Fluevog Shoes — the company gave Masse an artist grant to create the piece. The rainbow arachnid, which took two months to make, weighs 50 pounds and has been named Abigail. It’s currently on display at the John Fluevog store in the Distillery District in Toronto. Masse calls it her favourite piece to date. 

“I wanted to make a spider. I connect spiders with a maternal figure. A weaver. A mother who weaves, passing down matriarchal traditions. When constructing the spider, I made a miniature version and pattern, then I used a projector to then make that pattern bigger. I crocheted the pieces in small batches then would wash them (this is part of the felting process that bonds the crochet fibres together) in a bathtub which took a long time but it was easier than doing one at a time. I really enjoy making large drawn-out pieces.” 

Masse has also created many other one-of-a-kind projects, including a large-scale crochet centipede, and even a dim sum- inspired hat collection. But it was her bunny crochet headpiece that blew up on TikTok. Masse has gained millions of likes and views on the bunny headpieces, donned by celebrities such as Rico Nasty, Bella Poarch, and Melanie Martinez. 

“I think the pandemic jump-started crochet and it’s only grown from there. It’s accessible, requires minimal tools, and there are an unlimited number of resources on the internet to help you get started. That, paired with the balaclava trend being popular… the timing was perfect.”

But despite the popularity of her headpieces, Masse can’t see herself producing them at large-scale. You can buy her pieces in small drops on her website. But a retail line? It’s out of the question. Crochet can’t be fabricated by a machine. 

“I don’t think everything — especially wearable art — needs to be mass-produced and purchasable. On top of that, crochet can’t be made by machine so that results in companies exploiting people for their labour.”

Find Alexandria Masse and her designs on TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube, or buy her original crochet pieces via her website.