I began this body of practice based research from my own experiences as a feminist designer of menswear, and looking for a way in which fashion can play a positive role in social discourse on male behaviour.
The act of hegemonic masculinity hinges upon a man’s ability to communicate maleness in a way that connects him to positions of power. These acts function to directly disassociate him from the things society has attributed to femininity such as emotional connection, physical touch, open communication, and interdependence.
These hegemonic behaviours and their harmful effects are a direct product of the clash between human nature and patriarchal expectations.
Until very recently, history, including gender studies has been monopolised by the white male gaze. In order to break away from pre-existing trails of discourse, an alternative viewpoint is needed in order to reclaim and rework the gender matrix we have be solidified in for so long.
As human beings we attribute codes and meanings to inanimate objects without thought. By using entirely pre-used, male-coded materials, I hope to reconfigure these male-memoirs in order to reconfigure how we understand the troublesome history of masculine behaviour.
By designing garments that usher the wearer into a previously unexplored experience, this project suggests new methods of research which allow the space for open engagement and continuous illuminations.
“Fashioning Acts of Masculinity” is a body of work calling out and commenting on the material culture that has allowed systems of harm to persist, and offers a new, more positive way to overcome them.
