Memento Mori - 2023 Graduate Collection

"All we can say about death is that it is either real or it is not real. If it is real, then the end of one's life is a simple termination. If it is not real, then the end of one's embodied life is not true death, but a portal to another life." - JEFF MASON

Death isn't a word, it's a force, a weight that everyone bears in some way or another. Having this inevitable end to everything they know. Death is an underlying darkness and weight that is somehow hauntingly beautiful and terrifyingly powerful. We can't see it or feel it, but we know it's there.

For my collection "Memento Mori" I aim to capture and infuse my perceptions of death with a series of six looks. These looks will be tailored towards ready-to-wear. Everything in death is juxtaposed and I want to reflect this feeling through contrasting uses of heaviness and lightness, soft and hard, bright and dark, smooth and rugged, curves and angles. The complexity of humans, life and death and all their positives and negatives.

I aim to create a collection that incorporates multiple different key design motifs. By using the medieval weapon - "Mace" as a motif, I wish to evoke themes of strength, honour, and battle. The inclusion of skull symbols reflects mortality. By incorporating distressed fabrics, I want to express decay, mirroring the ritual of burying our loved ones while also reflecting on the fragility of life. Alongside these elements, I'm drawing on our society's 'Formal Attire of Mourning' genre, weaving in traditional archetype garments such as shirts, suit jackets, ties, and their classic colours of black and white. These motifs, woven together, will create a collection that captures different experiences of death, providing a thoughtful and cohesive reflection on this daunting and powerful force.

My personal perception of death as a powerful force is somewhat beautiful, reflecting its true complexity. If death was clothing, this is what I imagine it would look like.