Sodomy and Motorcycles: S&M

—Senior Thesis Collection—

A genderfluid collection inspired by my motorcycle racing upbringing combined with elements of my queer identity. I grew up in a family of 6 children and 2 parents. We all had one thing in common, Motorcycle Racing. At the dinner table the 8 of us sat around and somehow the conversation Always led back to that Singular common thread between us all. Yes, it is a big part of who we all are and yes, it was a great community we were raised in but how at a table of 8 entirely different people of all different ages is that the only topic we seem to discuss. 

  Because of this it always felt wrong to try and talk about anything else. I had hid many parts of my identity from my family because it did not fit into the conversation and didn't feel as though I fit into this family. This collection is created with gender fluidity and sexuality in mind. The two things I hid from my family growing up. While taking inspiration from my racing background this collection is how I am going to Force myself a place at the table and place my identity into the conversation.

This collection was made with some new leather but majority was with old leather racing suits that had been donated by the people of the community I grew up in. I took them all and deconstructed every single seam out of the garments, soaked, washed, and reconditioned all the leather in order to lay it out and use it as individual scraps of textile to cut up and piece back together to make the pattern shaped I needed.