Despite a BFA from Parsons, Brooklyn-based designer Roula Nassar sees her grandfather as the biggest influence in her design education. “He was an engineer by trade, but he was also a self-taught sculptor and photographer. If something interested him he would take it upon himself to figure out how to do it, in his own way. I really identify with that approach — working outside of a system or industry to conceive things in a singular way.”

You can certainly see his legacy in Nassar’s multi-disciplinary studio Otto. Otto has an output ranging from photography, through books and film, to the three-dimensional: knitwear and a currently in-progress resin bowl (which we’ll be featuring soon!). “I like the idea of making things like bowls and sweaters. They’re basic, everyday objects that serve a function, but they can be realized in seemingly endless variations.” Nassar’s ultimate strength lies in tying all of these diverse projects together to live happily in one world. She shapes each design from conception through to styling and photography and her super strong aesthetic carries it all off. See our selection of her stunningly styled recent knitwear designs below, then go to Otto’s site to view more of her beautifully crafted output. And be sure to watch her new film Sonata (No.7), featuring Annie Larson, a cat, and an Otto knit.