The collection, Libertine, was conceived in one of the most polarizing, tense and unsettling election years in American history. The parallels drawn here to 18th century France are no coincidence. Fashion is synchronized with politics; through government we find ourselves servants. The trickle-down effect means we dress as a reflection of this whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

There is proof! Fashion itself is a visual representation of life in time. When peering through history, we can easily pinpoint a decade or era based on its garments alone; these outfits tell stories. The fact that we wear what we love now without thinking about its future collective significance is simply stupendous and wonderful! What's behind the clothes we choose will only be revealed with the perspective of time.

I imagine a noble woman in the 18th century, a day in 1779. She nestles a miniature ship, a grand statement she's commissioned to wear into her hair, showcasing her alliance and political stance. It is dangerous, humorous, fascinating and ironic. She is then draped, corseted, bustled, layered like a cake and stepping into a carriage, off to her event. We can only imagine her nerves, excitement, and anxieties; she is long since dead with little record. She thinks of how she will be perceived in that moment and in her lifetime, but she has no way of knowing what is to come or how her individualism will coalesce.

This is the strangeness of humanity! We live in time, and in our time this moment feels like we are on some sort of precipice. I can't see it with clarity and may never see it; I can only perceive slow shifts and express that through my art which is fashion. Sex, gender, morality, perfection, consumption, vanity, and resignation seem to make up the framework in today's shifting beauty ideals. Everyone wears a mask as they present themselves in digital form. I don't always like what I see, nor do I understand it.

Trapped by these social constraints, I was reminded of the Libertines, leading me down a rabbit hole of 18th century France. This historically masculine-centric culture of freethinking philosophers and intellectuals, a movement for liberation from traditional religious mores, felt more relevant than ever. The challenge for me was to take this movement and spin it into a modern celebration of feminine power.

It is crucial to me to continue in my fight for feminism and equality, respect for gender, in my body my choice, that sex work is real work, and that art and history must not be censored. It is risky yet essential to pull these subjects into the light and to treat them with nuance.

With this collection I want to make a statement about the Selkie girl in all her nuanced glory. I imagine her as she too selects a metaphorical miniature to wear atop her head. Who is she? The answer (even when you strip her down) is simple - she's herself. A revolutionary act in this digital age. She is not small, she is not silent; when she arrives you will take heed.