SHOP
©2024 YAKU
AW23
The
Since 2020, my practice has been driven by research into using sensory design, physical depth, and scale of my artwork to alter its perceptual experience. My goal was to apply these factors to create wearable artwork that intrigues the viewers’ subconscious. I referenced nature and human form for the silhouettes and colours of my designs while employing sculptural processes to manipulate their scale, shape and surface. I applied these processes to design within fashion, furniture, games, and sculpture. As my practice has evolved, the exploration of my fragmented identity has been important. Being raised in Britain by separated parents with conflicting values led me to discover myself within spaces that didn’t exist like online role player games (RPGs). On the surface, virtual worlds weren’t too visually dissimilar to the reality. However, they allowed for great freedom in the actions to engage with. I found comfort existing in a space where slaying dragons, mining for rare ores and buying gorgon hide armours. Upon reflection, this was my way of forming my identity and future; both different from the one that either of my parents or the real world could have provided. I later learnt that this would be my first encounter of Afrofuturism.
“Afro futurism is a way of looking into the future and alternate realities through a black cultural lens” - “imagining oneself in the future creates agency” - Ytasha Womack
The Afrofuturism movement strongly resonates with me as it provides a place for my blackness to exist. It makes it possible to create a prosperous world for black warriors with six arms and their protective mother-like people with reptile skin. While these ideas are realised through menswear, the nature of these narratives can blur the binaries that have been forced on us by society.
I am seeking to create an
My Pre-collection focused on my mother, younger brother, two of my older sisters, brother-in-law and nephew. Development for the final collection I will now take you through saw to further improve the depth of existing characters while expanding the amount by building my older brother Elliot in this world.
My choice of fabric is determined by what best reflects the appearance of the characters when converted to their real-life format. These are often synthetic, as their intrinsic properties allow for exaggeration and warping through heat treatments, shrinking, and layering. As with all my projects, I seek to use waste fabric, objects, and ‘rubbish’ that I come across, which brings new life to items that would otherwise end up in landfills and provides a point for further conversation. My larger characters adopt voluminous shapes made from reclaimed duvets, while the smaller humanoids dressed in dragon hides are realised from upcycled Godzilla-skin-textured tech-wear garments.
My approach to pattern cutting is still deeply rooted in my research on perception and the human form. I focus on the freedom for movement and self-expression for the person that wears my garments. The added layer of Afrofuturism and blackness further alters the feeling that one experiences in my pieces. My garments are especially for those that have appreciation for clothes that tell a story. I find that wearing my garments brings back the self-explorative emotions of my formative years, when playing dress up with my brother allowed for “trying on” the many possible personas. The garments I develop now expand that range of the personas one could be. I hope that those who wear them could experience this middle point between a sort of cosplay and nostalgia.
My first and primary desire for this collection roots in shifting my practice to an “open-source” format to establish the importance of transparency in fashion. By clearly publishing my process where I prioritise sustainability, I hope to inspire others to do the same when approaching design. With more transparency and access to techniques within the industry, I hope to kickstart a multiplier effect of exchange and positive development within fashion.
From a more personal perspective, I want to further connect with my blackness through the objects and assets I produce, while providing opportunities for others to introspect their identity through my designs.
Finally, I seek to expand and build depth of the characters I have made. I wish to apply this design language while maintaining the same level of detail within garments, furniture, and digital assets within augmented and virtual reality. I see the latter as a way of expanding public access to the arts.
LOOK 1 - AMIR
LOOK 2 - RICKY + CAEDON
LOOK 3 - STEPH
LOOK 4 - MUM
LOOK 5 - KARIS
LOOK 6 - ELLI