About Me
Hi, im Calum a final year menswear designer at DMU
From a young age I have always been interested in the creative arts. I specialised in art and design at school and college before finding my excitement and fascination with fashion. After exploring a range of design aesthetics, I grew very fond of menswear and the utilitarian approach it required.
After studying fashion design for three years, I have grown to appreciate the opportunity my work has given me to express my sexuality and my opinion on how the community has been treated throughout the last century. Using my knowledge of the communities history and my personal experiences in society, I have used textile manipulation like print and digital embroidery to add humour and education to my work whilst keeping it personal to myself.
INSPIRATION
my experiences challenging feminine and masculine stereotypes throughout the LGBTQ+ community
I wanted to use my collection to bring humour to the judgement I have been faced with when not fitting into societies expectations of what a man/boy should be like. Exploring the idea of different masculine stereotypes I have experienced growing up surrounded by these specific influences, such as: the football hooligan, the tradesman, the businessman etc. i exaggerated the proportions and silhouettes of my garments to express my opinion on how unrealistic these expectations are for everyone.
Subtly manipulating my fabrics, I used screen print, digital print and quilting to express my opinion that the gay community is an easy target for society to compare itself to when something doesn’t appear ‘the same’ or ‘normal’. Also using digital embroidery and knit, using the Shima machine, I included slurs and discriminatory phrases to bring attention to the fact that these sayings are still commonly used throughout society despite the progression in the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
'i'm a boy, duh?' exploring masculine stereotypes
DETAIL
what makes a man?
As someone that identifies as male but not with the connotations of what people expect that come with this word, I wanted to use my final collection as an opportunity to bring humour to the idea that a man has to be strong or powerful just for example, but can be flamboyant and feminine.
im still a boy right?
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