I see fashion design as a weapon of communication, so it is very important for me to politicize my designs. We, as designers, are given a platform that, in my mind, can and must be used with not only the purpose of creating nice garments and stories, but also trying to communicate our concerns about today's society.
When I was 18 I discovered queer theories and I found in gender and sexuality the right inputs to produce my work. Getting inspired by queer philosophy and movements not only gave me the hability of discussing topics of my interest that remain usually silenced, but also working on my own journey of acceptance and self discovery as a young queer person myself. I think the fashion industry has lately massively evolved but I think there is still a lot of work of inclusivity and visibility to get done, and it's in the young generation hands to achieve that.
INSPIRATION
This collection talks about how, when I was younger, I started seeing for the first time myself represented in media under the stereotyped and sometimes denigrating image of what a gay person was supposed to be. I am getting inspired by sports, the WWE and drag queens in order to discuss hypermasculinity. I am also taking inspiration from the denaturalization of sex and bodies theories, which allows me to take 'regular' garments and reconstruct them, giving them new significations.
Another very big issue to discuss for me in this collection has to do with Spanish pop culture and iconography. Ironically, most conservative people in Spain share the same 'sense of style', which I'm getting inspiration from, and are usually very nationalist. By including Spanish iconography in my collection, I am trying to give the Spanish flag back to the queer local community, which don't feel represented by it anymore.
DETAIL
All of the fabrics that I used come from overstock. I find it important to keep my designs as sustainable as I can. The leather pieces I included in my design are also leftovers, which gave the garments more texture. In terms of design I wanted to deconstruct everyday garments as jeans, t-shirts or sweatshirts trying to transform them into more interesting pieces of clothing. A lot of the garments take inspiration from sportswear or a very masculine aesthetic that I combined with queer inputs so as to achieve a more meaningfull story.