Final Jade Cast - The first of two looks acquired by
@metmuseum for the exhibit ‘Costume Art’, curated by Andrew Bolton OBE
@metcostumeinstitute
It’s a great honour to be included alongside my contemporaries and many works that captivated my imagination as a young person and inspired me to become part of this industry. I love that this cast has been paired with Nude No.1, from photographer Irving Penn, shot in 1947.
The selection of this piece is significant to me. It is of my long-time collaborator, muse and great friend, the artist
@jade_o_belle She has been an inspiration since first life-casting her during my MA at RCA. This cast became important primary research for the development of my approach to pattern-cutting. It represents the beginning of a journey to try and unpick fashion’s complicated and destructive relationship to the non ‘sample size’ body (If you are not familiar - that means anyone that is larger then +/- a 65cm waist, 90cm hips and 88cm chest). This excludes the majority, but the fashion industry has positioned this body as the pinnacle of aspiration – and the entire infrastructure and system surrounding luxury fashion is built on this. This is what makes it so hard to break the cycle – from casting to grading, to buying, producing and marketing, the system is completely built for this very exclusionary sample size.
Jade was selected to become one of the new mannequins for the show and the process of 3D scanning and sculpting by artist
@frankbenson.info mirrors my process 8years ago, working with Jade and other women in my life to use sculpture as a tool to see (and feel) ourselves clearly and escape the narrow frame imposed on us by mainstream, luxury and beauty culture. I hope the new mannequins in the ‘Costume Art’ show can help others do that too. They were beautifully curated by Andrew and
@thesineadburke and her team
@tiltingthelens and include intersections of sizes, shapes, races, genders and abilities.
Thank you so much Andrew Bolton, OBE, for this important exhibit, and to Jade forever for this last 8 years of dialogue and collaboration.
