Busayo Akinnola
Najla Binsalman
Alexandre Kadlec
Grace Morgan
Damon Neathan
Lena Pelini
Vera Vile
Mariah Williams
Koral Zitzmann
My art is heavily inspired by what the general populace would consider macabre and grotesque. I love horror movies, punk rock, and rockabilly aesthetics, and try to bring these elements into my work. Another large inspiration of mine is self-defense; spikes and studs are not only intimidating, but sharp enough to be used as armor if need be. I also believe strongly that anyone can wear anything and adamantly refuse to gender my clothing. I aim to be different, intimidating, and a little creepy.
Look 1
A white knit tee with a screen printed design, paired with black denim high-waisted shorts, appliquéd with molded leather faces and hand-painted quips on the back.
Look 2
A black and white striped cotton knit sweater cut in the style of a straitjacket, paired with black flocked velvet high-waisted short with zipper details and a long-sleeved knit shirt with hand-painted design and safety pin sleeve accents.
Vera never intended to be a fashion designer. From a young age, they wanted to draw, and were fascinated with things that were weird and macabre. While their aspirations changed over the years, from wanting to be an animator to wanting to do comic book illustration, their love of things that were different never wavered. Eventually, Vera’s love of comic book characters (mostly mutants) turned into an interest in costuming, and through trial and error has dabbled in props and special effects makeup. Five awards for costuming performance later, Vera decided to get a formal education. They hope to do costuming, props, and effects for films in the future.
