Beau Scarlett-Pitt on erotic identities, Savile Row-tailoring, and The Village People

Beau lives and breathes music – to her, it’s a source of life. Unsurprisingly, her way of working is heavily influenced by what’s lined up on her playlist. “My process usually starts off with an amalgamation of songs to help me envisage the mood of the collection.” With one song in mind that she imagines the end result interacting with, Beau intertwines the soundtrack with a narrative created based on her research. Combining sound and image helps her shape an ultimate muse. “I have to get into his head, to know how he feels. How he’d dance to a certain song. Who his loves are. What he desires.” ‘Her’ is what he longs for – however ‘She’ is unattainable. Since he cannot have ‘Her’ he decides to become ‘Her’, to find pleasure in his own uncontrollable sensual energy.

Driven by the rawness and proudly sexual collective energies of female pin-ups featured in 60s and 70s porn magazines, ‘She’ was shaped to represent the power of feminine sensuality within the framework of men’s fashion. “As a woman in the creative field of menswear, it’s been important to me to see my energy presented and communicated to the world and also aid the exploration of new masculine erotic identities,” says Beau. A long-time obsession with these vintage sexual references – often found on antique markets – led her to create her graduate collection around this core research. So much so that as an ode to the women of the subject, each look is named after one of them, reflecting their individual persona.

“Though there were points where I had nightmares the collection would end up looking like the new music video for The Village People.”

Looking at the collection, not as singular looks or pieces but rather as a wardrobe, Beau ventured to communicate ‘Her’ energy by drawing on different areas of men’s dress written with a sexual code, to then apply the power of feminine sensuality through seaming, fabrication, cut, and print. “Though there were points where I had nightmares the collection would end up looking like the new music video for The Village People.”

Structured around tailoring, leather, and denim, the collection consists of fabrications that have been reworked from their traditional stature. “‘Countess B’ features the cloth book pinstripe trouser, made up entirely from discontinued tailoring cloth book samples which have been dyed, cut and patchworked together to form a more raw, tactile entity to the classic pinstripe. The look ‘Blondell’ similarly is a take on archetypical men’s denim. The makeup being solely of old, repurposed Levi’s, the panel detailing works within the restrictions of the jean framework ultimately to reshape the sensual identity of the menswear staple. Trompe-l’oeuil prints are featured throughout capturing both soft and abrasive elements. My process of bleached denim samples regenerated on a juxtaposed silk base created a woman-made animal print. A collection culminating in heavily panelled pieces, adding shape, definition, and ribbed for your pleasure.” Having gained expert technical skills during her internship at Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row, Beau pushes the concept of tailoring further by subverting traditional processes and injecting (very well-made) men’s classics with a shot of sexiness.

Developing ‘She’s So Heavy’ took on a timeline outside of any expectation. Spring’s lockdown coincided with a crucial moment for many graduate students: the final sprint before the show. “Initially, it was a shock,” she confesses, “but I got a chance to focus on 2D for a while and redesign whole areas of the collection to be able to achieve an end result I was happy with, given the limitations.” The situation allowed for a breath of fresh air, a step back, and a new perspective – something that isn’t promoted enough in the industry according to Beau. “It forced me to take my head out of the ‘third-year bubble’ and address what the actual purpose of making this collection was: to make people feel slick, sexy, and rock and roll.”

To conclude the work, Beau collaborated on a short film to showcase her collection. Presenting it with her vision and mindset is something essential to fully communicate her ideas, inviting people to interact with what is out there: an experience to pleasure both aural and visual senses. “I wanted to create an element of hysteria like fans would experience at an early Stones gig.” With an energising soundtrack and a muse-like model, ‘She’ is evoking on-screen exactly the message Beau means to convey.

“I really hope for my generation of designers to seize opportunities to get to the right positions within the business to execute effective change for better systems; to make the industry a better place for people, the environment, and the future.”

“Looking retrospectively, I would honestly say it’s been an unusual time of my life,” Beau states when inquiring about her experience at Kingston. “I have been fortunate enough to have a great experience thus far and to have learnt so much from the amazing people I have around me. But I also feel saddened by what I have learnt the industry to be what it is today. I really hope for my generation of designers to seize opportunities to get to the right positions within the business to execute effective change for better systems; to make the industry a better place for people, the environment, and the future.”

Currently working on a few side projects to pay the bills and stay sane, Beau would love to work within the music industry and help artists create their visuals. I’ve also heard she’s up for joining a band – albeit not as a lead singer.

All images courtesy of Beau Scarlett-Pitt, Art Direction by Beau Scarlett-Pitt, Photography by Ryan Croxton, Produced by Caroline Wong, MUA Sunao Takahashi, Model James Spencer, Graphics by Tilda Rawls, Editor tgpwilson