A Middlesex University Fashion Design student has created an avante garde new clothing collection, designed to challenge fundamental preconceptions within society.
Orion Facey, 20, has
focused on creating clothes for the transgender community - garments that are
not specific to either male or female genders.
The project is both
highly conceptual and very personal to Orion, who describes themself as
non-binary.
Orion explained: "I
believe the views and preferences of transgender people are currently
underrepresented in the fashion marketplace. I'd like to change that.
"As a society, we all
typically work within the constructs of gender, and I aim to challenge those
constructs and constraints through my work."
In coming up with
their designs, Orion played with the idea of things being 'lost in
translation'; a reflection on how transgender people often feel their
identities are lost or distorted when they have to present a 'face' to the
outside world.
Orion also drew
heavily on 'glitch culture'. Glitch art deliberately integrates what would
traditionally be thought of as 'glitches', 'bugs' or 'errors in the system' and
uses them to create aesthetically interesting pieces.
Orion has taken the
concept of glitch art and applied it when designing their garments.
One example is a
trench coat that is a key piece in Orion's collection. They first took a
photograph of a coat sold on the high street, and then hand-drew that image and
used their drawing (rather than the original photograph) to inform the pattern
they created to make the actual garment.
The whole process was
therefore 'glitched' throughout: By the time the garment was complete, it was
constructed differently - and looked entirely different - from the original
coat.
Orion, originally from Blackpool, will be exhibiting their innovative collection this week at a top London venue: Along with 21 other Middlesex Fashion Design students, Orion has been selected to display their pieces in a fashion show at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance hotel.
Student’s concept collection challenges gender norms
Orion Facey, 20, has focused on creating clothes for the transgender community - garments that are not specific to either male or female genders.
The project is both highly conceptual and very personal to Orion, who describes themself as non-binary.
Orion explained: "I believe the views and preferences of transgender people are currently underrepresented in the fashion marketplace. I'd like to change that.
"As a society, we all typically work within the constructs of gender, and I aim to challenge those constructs and constraints through my work."
In coming up with their designs, Orion played with the idea of things being 'lost in translation'; a reflection on how transgender people often feel their identities are lost or distorted when they have to present a 'face' to the outside world.
Orion also drew heavily on 'glitch culture'. Glitch art deliberately integrates what would traditionally be thought of as 'glitches', 'bugs' or 'errors in the system' and uses them to create aesthetically interesting pieces.
Orion has taken the concept of glitch art and applied it when designing their garments.
One example is a trench coat that is a key piece in Orion's collection. They first took a photograph of a coat sold on the high street, and then hand-drew that image and used their drawing (rather than the original photograph) to inform the pattern they created to make the actual garment.
The whole process was therefore 'glitched' throughout: By the time the garment was complete, it was constructed differently - and looked entirely different - from the original coat.
Orion, originally from Blackpool, will be exhibiting their innovative collection this week at a top London venue: Along with 21 other Middlesex Fashion Design students, Orion has been selected to display their pieces in a fashion show at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance hotel.