King of the Arena

The initial inspiration for this graduate collection was taken from the works of photographer Camila Falquez and her series ‘Sand Figures’ which documents the wrestlers of Senegal, fighting on the soft sandy beaches and pink lakes to win the title King of the Arena. Her images capture a brutal, intense sport in a very delicate and intimate manner, obscuring how the sport is presented and therefore interpreted. The collection King of the Arena has been designed and developed front and foremost to play on the boundaries of aggression within fighting culture and the idea of protection and vulnerability, linking directly to boxing and wrestling and more indirectly to the exploration of the topic of masculinity. Technical fabrics are dominant throughout the collection, combining delicate, effeminate cloths and colours with heavily padded oversized silhouettes to create a subtle feminine twist to mens sportswear.