The Ugly Club

The Ugly Club

Fashion design, Womenswear.

This body of work presents an exploration into a secret society labelled 'The ugly club' in the 1900s; a member would be an object of ridicule in the streets, but a superstar within the sanctum of the club. My journey begins through looking into the victorian era and understanding the societal standards that were upheld; if you were deemed 'too ugly' due to seemly irrational beliefs such as appearance criminology/physiognomy which were infamously suggested by books such as Vaught's character reader - you would be cast out and deemed unworthy of love, happiness etc. A select few individuals decided to group together much like the disciples of Jesus to create new rules to follow in which they could find happiness. My interest lies in the fact that this concept is still very prevalent today when it comes to societal issues such as racism and feeling as if you don't belong due to visible differences. This is evident in documentaries such as 'Paris is Burning' where a secret group of drag artists performed in the mid to late 1980's.

When researching into stories such as the 'Elephant Man', my final outcomes have been greatly influenced and stem from the idea of huge growths and abnormalities in the human form; people's differences in physiognomy. Victorian fashion has also played a huge role in my outcomes - Victorian undergarments, pleating and bustles (in hope to make certain body parts larger) are corresponding with the abnormalities. The colour schemes represent colours that clash (according to the internet) to present beauty in a new form.