It's Broque!

Category: Footwear

Fashion is more than something we assert monetary value to or wear, it is a way of expressing, identifying, and representing through having a bold reality. My art explores the aesthetics of the environment through showing the political “eleganza” of Saint Louis, Missouri. Conceptualizing race, gender, sexuality, and body image, the assumptions of these topics are the core of the work. Manipulating materials through intense draping, complex patternmaking, and quality construction balance the eclectic and vibrant choices of materiality. Looking at where we assert value in fashion, I chose the Baroque era because it sounds like broke, which is a common assumption of what Saint Louis is. Both Saint Louis and the Baroque period have a strong visual appeal when it comes to architecture, color, and print. The work highlights the complex nature of what value means in different communities by reconceptualizing historical structures in relation to St. Louis. While they are totally different worlds, the jarring juxtaposition provides a wider lens into where the aesthetics collide with power shown through unity in an everyday fantasy. 95 percent of the materials are donated or leftover leather from companies that were donated to me. Using the elements of color blocking, I wanted to highlight what "value" these fabrics contain. I mixed and matched expensive and cheap leather together to have the audience question their assumption of what is valuable.