A Look At The Work So Far
For this body of work, I’m exploring the connection between the LGBTQ+ community and fashion history. Fashion has long been a source of expression and symbolism for queer individuals, with this being documented as far back as the 18th century in Britain.
As a transgender man myself, whose identity can be dictated by fashion, I find this historical part of my communities past to be a rather intriguing and important narrative to discuss. As a result of this, I wish to highlight the lives of those who came before me because I believe that these people are relevant in the conversation about fashion and the LGBT community today as there are clear examples of how modern-day fashion is inspired and deeply rooted in the past.
I’m looking at this through creating a series of outfits that have a modern twist on garments inspired by historical time periods. For this term, I’ve been looking specifically at 18th century queer Britain. The outfit below is created from fabric which has my photographs printed on them. Though its not a historical replica of the gowns worn at the time, the sewing techniques, construction and main design elements are drawn from 1720’s-30’s robe à l'anglaise’s. The photographs depict areas around London that were integral to the LGBTQ+ community at the time, including the location of Molly Houses, known cruising grounds, and the Tyburn Tree Gallows, where three people were hung for sodomy in 1729.
This is still a work in progress as the binding needs finishing and the skirt needs hemming but then comes the fun of photographing a model wearing it in the studio!
