final evaluation

The project 'the king of the fools' started because of a series of peculiar dreams I was having around portfolio season. I had a dream that all of my best friends were my brutal enemies and that I was fist fighting them at festivities where everybody was there. One was the collection of ex squat mates possessions where I fist fought my best friend. Another was in a grand medieval castle, celebrating the final day of dalston squat and it ended with me on a push boat in a storm, brutally arguing with my grandmother who was also my friend Lilyth. Another was in a theatre with a big plumitting drop I was about to fall into and Milo from my class at university was telling me not to worry. I realised all of these happenings had a theme of Carnivalism - the setting, and social subversion - my friends and how they were acting.

I researched into these and looked at Bhaktins theory of Carnival, as well as paintings that reflected carnivalesque happenings, as well as many examples of carnival throughout history. In the 12th century there was a tradition called the king of the fools, whereinwich everyone in a medieval village would get a slice of cake, whoever had the coin in the cake would get to rule over the village for a day, this allowed for actual social subversion to happen and 'low ranking' members of society to get a taste of the high life. Other carnivalesque traditions such as debutante balls, 19th century parades and modern day football games as well as paintings by Bosch stuck out to me due to such peculiarities being born out of tradition and general conformity, furthermore, understanding that everybody finds it fun to express in this way yet frown upon it when people do it out of line with tradition and societal pressure is interesting, the queer spirit is really within everyone it seems.

The way in which I see it, drollerys, grotesques and creatures drawn in medieval bestiaries are happenings of fantasy born out of staunch religious conformity and general uneducation across the population. I then looked at these things reflected in carnivalesque tradition, costumes of mythical beasts, army/warrior uniforms, expressive masks, jewellery and themes of the past were things common in most carnivals. The endless question I've hinted towards that won't escape my mind throughout the entirety of this is

"If on this day, then why not on every other?"

My journey in fashion is blurring the lines between haute couture, costume, ready to wear and waste, and the concept of being 'overdressed' is never something I have cared to understand and never something I'd pay attention to within my styling and design work. Throughout the making portion of this project I became slightly unstuck however, I realised piles and piles of pieces and bits from what I had made over my time at foundation were piling up, and as someone who is also a freelance costume / fashion designer, being able to sell ones work is integral to my survival, and being able to get the ball rolling will probably feel like the carnival itself. In order for me to celebrate adequately, in the carnivalesque way I want to, I realised one must not waste any more fabric and make money out of all of these 'samples' and 'outcomes' that were getting ripped and collecting dust. Furthermore, because of the clothes I wear every day, I often get asked where the party is or what I'm dressed up for. Knowing that my aesthetic, to onlookers, signifies a celebration or party, means that all who wear my clothes might be asked the same. Creating pieces that are both ready to wear and celebratory is something I wanted to explore for this project.

Within my designs for this project, I've taken the pieces of research that have fascinated me and integrated them into my designs, certain elements of army costumes and face coverings have made their way into my clothes, however themes of the past is something I wanted to expand on. Along the same vein as making my work sellable, I have taken themes of past projects and integrated them into this project to round off my time at CSM foundation, reference how carnivals reference the past history of their country and to prevent waste and clutter as much as I can.

Towards the end of the project I kept making and making pieces which I was really happy about, I'd say it's the hardest I've ever worked in terms of creating individual and unique pieces to sell, I finished with 2 bras, 2 pairs of jeans, a 2 piece set, an armour top, a pair of gloves, a pair of gauntlets and some Tudor looking shorts, all of which I'm extremely proud of. I'm really happy I got to integrate drolleries and grotesques into my designs in a modern way and I was able to reinvent a piece of tradition I really like into something more modern and edgy.

Looking back at the project and the things I made, although stressful and nerve wracking at times, and even though I started the project 3 weeks late due to difficulties with my living situation, I'm still really really proud of what I made. I really enjoyed the styling aspects of this project as well as the making parts and I feel as though the goal with my project was met, in the sense that, on the shooting day, one of my tutors asked my model "are you going out wearing this later? Is this what you'd wear on a night out?" And a group of students said they felt "uplifted" and "excited" after seeing my work be shot which makes me feel as though my goal has been achieved.

After this project I'm not continuing on to my degree, I'm going to start creating more one off pieces to sell as well as expanding on my drag performances. A goal I have for myself is to be able to sell 2/3 pieces I've made online a month, which will help me start my brand and will allow me to financially support myself.

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