Super Peculiar is a showcase of the development of my aesthetic and to honour my peculiar heroes who set me free as a young queer kid and who now hold the torch for those who will carry on this legacy.
Feeling different was difficult and it’s a feeling that all too many can understand. Growing up in a regional area and having my beliefs and the core of who I was challenged at every turn forced me to turn to those who could inspire and lift me above my circumstances and reach for something bigger.
Through shape, texture and colour, this collection explores the relationship between the artist and the audience. Super Peculiar is my visual commentary on our modern culture. Who are we now? What do we represent? What does a hero really look like? Will they save us?
Strong silhouettes with soft finishes give the multifaceted juxtaposition of a superhuman. Black and white was chosen to highlight the dramatic finishes and all black styling. There is a cinematic edge to this collection, with a comic book sensibility, jumping off the page. Styling is textured with cut outs and flashes of skin hiding and revealing at once. Make-up is so much more than lipstick and eyeliner- it helps to form a mask and cement true identity.
Look 1 plays with hair as textile, creating an intricate woven hood, both hiding and revealing the hair at the same time. Added pops of texture give a more dynamic and organic finish.
Look 2 is a futuristic and refresh take on the mohawk, given a more feminine finish and embracing more texture than expected. There is a sense of speed and dynamic movement.
Look 3 challenges gravity and perspective with its strong and defined shape. The contrasting use of colour as a strong highlight further enhances this play on what is up and what is down.
Look 4 is all about exaggerated movement and an ominous sense of what is to come. The texture is left softer and unstructured to form a fluid background to the highly stylised and bound sections at the head.
Look 5 demonstrates the magnitude of a precision cut and the importance of definition both in shape as well as colour.
Look 6 screams power. It is strength and confidence personified in its sculptured display.
Collection Credits:
Hair: Christopher Byrne
Photography: Andrew O’Toole
Fashion: Josie McManus
Makeup: Mikele Simone
