About Me
Making Up The Rules As I Go
Through my final year at MMU (Manchester Fashion Institute), I have continued to explore the themes of gender, sexuality and my own personal journey - a cathartic process which has enabled me to build my proposed brand GENDARE. GENDARE is a play on words with gender and generation, daring to be different from society's ideals and expectations.
My final major project, 'QUEER REVERIE' which is my second collection of GENDARE, or rather a 'feeling' is all around the themes of 'LIBERATION'. Following on from my initial 'feeling' (or collection) which was about belonging, I wanted to continue to build this idea of GENDARE being genderless, seasonless and inclusive - essentially giving choice back to the consumer, all without having a target market or consumer. YOU CHOOSE GENDARE, GENDARE isn't discriminatory in its marketing when it comes to size, race, gender, sexuality and so forth. The sizing is numbered 001-005.
INSPIRATION
'Queer Reverie' was initially inspired by James Bidgood's queer film, Pink Narcissus.
The starting point for my inspiration was initially to evoke feeling/emotion in my work - I knew I wanted to do something which was personal and focused on people. I am inspired by those around me and how powerful individuality can be so I really wanted to celebrate that. With my FMP, I wanted to create characters that were queer and unapologetic in their form of dress - taking on classic menswear silhouettes and 'camping it up' - embodying queer interpretations of 'masculine'.
I wanted to create a persona/character for each look which embodied my dreamy sense of what a real man could be. I wanted to reimagine men in more genderless/playful styles which cross gender boundaries and almost blur them completely. I felt these labels aren't important to me. It is a reverie what I wish the modern man looked like - or the majority of men chose to dress/present themselves like. But not even men, just for anyone, he, she, they, who likes to break gender codes and traditions.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
GENDARE = YOU. CONSUMER FOCUS.
GENDARE 'QUEER REVERIE' SUMMARY.
CONCEPT/NARRATIVE.
CONCEPT/RESEARCH.
CONSUMER.
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT.
PRINT DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT.
BREAKFAST AT JEREMY'S
SEHNSUCHT
POST BLITZ KID
QUEER REVERIE
TRUE MACHO
BALLERINO
PEACOCK
RUNAWAY GROOM
FINAL LINEUP OF QUEER REVERIE
DETAIL
Here is my portfolio from ideation, research to development and final outcomes.
Queer Reverie consists of 8 characters/8 outfits in a collection which is genderless, seasonless and inclusive with size.
Queer Reverie, for movers and shakers, innovators and those who choose to live outside societal expectations and pressures - for the free and unapologetic.
Graduate Fashion Week in partnership with:
