“How can we attempt to make the first step in changing the social stigmatism of femininity and empower the feminine until we cease to be viewed as easy targets for violence?” The garments focus on movement, comfort, and ambiguity to create a world where being beautiful does not equal being fragile.
My thesis collection Ah, Men challenges the viewer to reflect on the intersection of religious tradition and feminism as a catalyst for cultural shift. Translating silhouettes from Catholic tradition into a feminine collection for those who have been disenfranchised by the church was my ultimate inspiration and goal.
This collection is omnipresent nature that provides comfort and warmth, and was inspired by its textures. It combines natural resources with technological advances to mimic the real world. What resulted was an agglomeration of rugged denim, warm knits, and graphic prints.
How can garments transform color, size, shape, form, fit, silhouette, and/or type? I wanted to make garments that were as wearable as possible and in as many ways as possible while still existing within classic archetypes of dress. Inspiration was found in various day to day objects and operations.
Dreamhouse explores the research focus of connecting environment to mood and body to home to develop a collection that reflects the expression, joy, familiarity, and intimacy of home. Taking inspiration from how we dress similarly to how we decorate our homes, Dreamhouse captures the emotional comforts of home through clothing.
International Thief Thief is a collection that explores what fashion on the African continent would look like without the acts of colonization. This is explored with the use of traditional African print and silhouette with cultural and religious needs at the forefront of the collection.
Coko focuses on utilizing clothing to allow Black woman to reclaim power over their bodies and heal from trauma stemming from systemic oppression. The influence of 90s/2000s culture shines through the use of denim, prints, and color. The final collection is a love letter to Black women and their resilience.
