‘Life’s a Joke’ is a deeply personal that explores my personal identity as a queer person and how I express that through my make-up. ‘Life’s a Joke’ started to evolve after one of my makeup looks stopped the facial recognition camaras at the airport from being able to recognise my face. The security guard stated that the lines in my clown inspired make-up distorted my proportions and confused the cameras, this fuelled my collection. ‘Life’s a Joke’ is a collection designed to mock the society we live in today where we are constantly being monitored and having our data tracked. It takes a look at my interest for clowns to give you a ‘laugh so you don’t cry’ take on the world. There is always so much negativity going on in the world that I wanted to create a collection that brings joy and vivid colour to life, to rebel against our negative society. Clowns distort their bodies and face for humour using oversized silhouettes and tiny accessories to create a comical effect. I combined the way the clowns distort themselves with the make-up looks that I have been doing for years to create a collection that defies and pokes fun at the ‘big brother’ society that we live in.
Knit and textiles has always been a starting point for all my projects and starting with samples and being able to translate these into garments has elevated my gender-neutral designs. This is why I developed a technique that means all my seams are external so I could use them for innovative textiles. I am a maximalist and wanted to make the most of all of my garments. Sustainability is embedded in my process so I have made sure all of my yarns and fabrics are biodegradable or waste product. My collection is nearly all wool with the exception of some raffia, silk and leather pieces which are also all biodegradable.
