The collection 'UNMASKING OF SELF' is about the social mask that queer people are forced to put on to fit into the society box. The mask, therefore, blocks their identity = their true self.
This collection acknowledges the still present mask, but also shows what happens when you take off this mask. It tells a story about searching for your true self which refers back to childhood.
With this project, everyone began to explore the Roaring Twenties as a starting point for the collection. I became fascinated by the rebellious women/flappers and queer people who at that time were already going against social rules with their gender play, such as Claude Cahun and the surrealist designer Elsa Schiaparelli (trompe l'oeil/ illusion).
This created a design focus on deconstructed suit references for 'masculinity' and layers of transparent fabrics for 'femininity' and the conceptual mask.
DESIGN: 3 LOOKS
KNIT
< FINAL KNIT for experimental rib
FINAL KNIT FOR STOCKINGS
Technique: dropstitch with diagonal knitting and elastic
With the knit specialization, I wanted to focus on stockings. I wore this often as a child and have been fascinated by the garment ever since. The knitted stockings represent a free form of self-expression where the wearer is comfortable with their true self.
Here the knit has taken a similar direction as the woven materials: transparency and knitted lace.
FRONT
BACK
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EMBROIDERY
For my thesis, I examined various queer semiotics, such as the rainbow flag. For the LGBTQIA+ community, the rainbow symbol represents pride, solidarity, self-expression as well as support.
I translated this important queer semiotic and message into the collection with 2 kinds of machine embroidery: 'neuter' text inspired by Claude Cahun and an abstract rainbow.
‘Shuffle the cards. Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation.
Neuter is the only gender that always suits me’
- Claude Cahun, 1930
The final 2 embroidery with the material application:
LINE-UP
Building up to larger silhouettes and more transparency. This represents the development of daring to wear more and more eccentric clothes, daring to show more of your true self.
