The Fab Freak F*g by Harvey Simpson

This article was originally featured in: ASBO Magazine Issue 10

“My collection was heavily inspired by Gay culture in 1980’s New York. I began exploring subcultures such as the Harlem Drag ballrooms in the 1980s and the New York Club Kids in the 1990s and how gender was never something that needed to be defined. Noting how people navigated through the AIDS/HIV crisis and how a lot of the creative industry was dissolved because of this. I also really wanted to bring fun back to menswear with this collection. I feel my research always finds a way of exploring a fluid approach regardless of who I am designing for this however project definitely leaned more towards the Gay male.”

“Creative cut is a constant element that flows through my design which I feel is the backbone of my aesthetic. I believe that as the path towards a more fluid world occurs and genderless clothing becomes more accepted, it will continue to inspire design process. I feel as a designer especially within my design it is also important to constantly provoke what can be defined as the norm, whether it be exploring what is considered traditional or pushing cutting techniques to create innovative ideas.”