Jone Nielsen: 35 Days to Graduation 2017
My graduation project is inspired by UN’s Sustainable Goal 5 regarding Gender Equality. The project communicates a positive message of feminism as a reaction to what I consider to be an increase in alienation, distance and fear in Western society that has increased with the election of Donald Trump as President.
My collection is neither costume nor comedy, but a subversive treatment of gender intended to empower both men and women. The title of this conceptual fashion statement is “My Resisting B.I.T.C.H. Face”. B.I.T.C.H. is an abbreviation of “Being In Total Control of Herself” and demonstrates how I believe important issues should not be hidden in subtle codes but should be communicated through loud, bombastic expressions full of color, contrast and novel combinations with lots of humor.
I call my work menswear because it relates to the male body but it is intended to raise awareness more generally about feminist issues and dismantle gendered fashion norms. I challenge stigma through ironic commentary on gender stereotypes using glitter and fur to introduce them into menswear in a new way. I also take motorcycle print of flames as a male emblem and use it to drape a headpiece.
I have worked with existing materials and the collections mixes original design and styled objects. My main material is PVC that I paint, glue or otherwise manipulate into garments. The forms are quite basic and the emphasis is on the applications and techniques used to communicate my story.
In the project, I collaborate with a range of talented people such as artists, illustrators, and graphic designers. My collection is not sewn but build by using rope, bolts and studs in the construction of the pieces. I see myself as an art director and stylist who assembles and orchestrates fashion. I envision the final result as a group of characters that merge elements from superheroes and drag to mark a new beginning but also to stress the importance of humor as a more positive and disarming approach to serious political topics.