Joe Pearson presents Five Archetypal Men in One Collection

At the age of 21, Joe decided to give his dream of becoming a fashion designer a try. Without any prior experience or foundation courses, he got accepted into Kingston University from which he obtained his BA in Fashion Design in June this year. The first in his family with a university degree, he initially wanted to get some work experience before continuing with a master’s. However, life had other plans in store for the 25-year-old. This November marks the beginning of his MA at Central Saint Martins, another 18 months in which he can further hone his skills.

“You grow up and then you realise that it’s all a bit of an illusion. You’re doing it for what sake? Then, you stop and realise that a lot of your identity is built on performativity.”

Joe’s graduate collection is inspired by his own journey of shaping his identity as a queer man. In his early twenties, he read Matthew Todd’s book Straight Jacket. Part memoir, part polemic, the book explores the cultural straitjacket that represents being gay in our day and age. “You assimilate to self-preserve,” he says. “You grow up and then you realise that it’s all a bit of an illusion. You’re doing it for what sake? Then, you stop and realise that a lot of your identity is built on performativity.” In his untitled collection, the designer is breaking down fundamental questions he has asked himself growing up: why am I the way I am? Why do I act the way I do?

Consisting of 6 looks, his BA collection is looking at archetypes of males and the forms of masculinity Joe has encountered and been influenced by in his life. He took different elements from different kinds of men to create a fusion of what masculinity is made of. Starting off with chavs and their high time in Britain during the early 2000s, something he’d come across frequently in real life and the media. Add to it the physicality of the gym goer and the businessman uniform par excellence, the suit. An aspirational figure in the form of corset maker Mr Pearl and, finally, the nonchalance yet exuberance of the 19th century dandy. All these influences mixed with the women’s sartorial reclamation during the 80s and 90s leads to Joe’s pseudo-suit of a queer uniform.

For each of the designer’s looks, a corset is the core element. By now well-versed in the art and craft of corsetry, Joe builds strong silhouettes with his clothes that exaggerate the form from maleness to femaleness. The use of the corset is so central to his work as it reflects exactly that kind of restriction queer men experience while simultaneously cancelling out maleness by symbolising a heteronormative idea of femininity. This strong contrast is clearly seen in his collection where wide-legged checked trousers meet a skin-tight, sleeveless vest, and heavily draped dresses are worn over bulky tees and shirts. What all six looks have in common is a soft, neutral colour range in shades of white and brown, a cinched-in waist and, on top, a cap to finish it all off.

“If this all calms down and we return to some kind of normal, we’re still going to be competing for jobs with graduates of previous years with way more experience.”

Lucky enough to graduate as scheduled, Joe’s final year of his undergrad was nevertheless turned upside down by the pandemic. Committed to finishing the course without compromising, he did not cut down on the number of looks to make sure his portfolio would be strong, since there wouldn’t be a digital or physical show. Worried by their lack of exposure, the graduating students of Kingston teamed up with one of Joe’s close friends to create a print publication showcasing their work. “The magic of physical presentation is really hard to replace,” he says, adding that he has a lookbook, but with static images, a lot of the movement gets lost. Overall, the students share a similar fear connected to the current state of the industry. “If this all calms down and we return to some kind of normal, we’re still going to be competing for jobs with graduates of previous years with way more experience.”

During his BA, Joe was lucky enough to have three placements. He first experienced fast-fashion at Bershka in Spain before moving to Paris and catching a glimpse of the hyper-luxury world of Chanel. Working within textiles and couture, he felt a little disconnect. “I don’t know if I like the fact that these dresses cost more than the house I grew up in,” he remembers. Lastly, he spent a few months at Alexander McQueen’s diffusion line McQ, which felt more like a job due to the slower-paced atmosphere in the studio. Grateful for having had such diverse experiences, Joe was able to not only learn a lot from all his placements, but also cherry-pick what he likes and find his own approach to the industry.

“It’s a catch 22. In order to create big change, we are going to need to see some kind of return to bespokeness and quality over quantity.”

Discussing the state of the fashion industry as a whole, the designer finds himself in a conflict. “It’s a catch 22. In order to create big change, we are going to need to see some kind of return to bespokeness and quality over quantity. Changing how we consume and produce. Unfortunately, that’s going to mean raising price points, especially if we want to ethically source fabrics which we distribute economically and if we want to manufacture with companies that have the ethos we align ourselves with,” says Joe. “On the flipside, there is fast fashion which, in itself, is not a problem as it allows people to get a taste of the runway in an affordable way,” he adds, highlighting how for him personally, the Zara branch in his hometown Nottingham used to be his go-to experience and partake in fashion.

For his future, Joe Pearson ultimately sees himself owning his own brand creating bespoke pieces, corsets included, for people working within the entertainment industry. It’s the idea of a show costume and its personal connection to the wearer while also serving a function that attracts him so much. Until then, he is ready to take any opportunity. From returning to Paris to work at a fashion house to supporting a small, new brand in London, Joe wants to be as adaptable as possible within the industry.

Joe Pearson’s work is a material representation of what it means growing up as a gay man, surrounded by multiple masculinities all informing the way he perceives himself. He may have the master’s at Central Saint Martins ahead of him, but his approach shows that he is a designer with a process and a clearly-defined point of view.