“This work considers the bow tie as an object of queerness. It explores the connection between the wearer and the bow tie, as well as the ways queer communities connect through clothing and accessories. Bow ties are generally a formal accessory, and formal spaces have often been unwelcoming to people existing on the margins. With this work, I am interested in how we as queer individuals inject our identities into these spaces. Often seen as a playful and flamboyant alternative to a standard necktie, the bow tie becomes a garment of resistance and flair.

I am interested in the ways people have historically communicated queer identity via garments and adornment. Throughout history, bow ties have been a queer-coded accessory, often donned by gay men and queer icons. Like the ‘hanky code’ and other forms of queer signaling, clothing and accessories have long been a tool for queer people to seek safety, community, and love.

This work is part of my larger body of work Black and Gold. In this series, I embellish black garments with hand-pierced, gold-hued, metal plates. The pierced metal sits on top of the wearer’s flesh, creating a window that reveals their skin underneath. The series centers queer bodies, exploring patterning and gender expression through the unique relationship between the wearer and the garment. Black & Gold has become an outlet for me to explore gender identity as a gay and genderqueer person. This series challenges traditional masculine performances of gender by incorporating textile craft techniques associated with feminine labor and queer sexuality. In this work, I feature the iconic houndstooth pattern, which has a rich history rooted in Celtic culture, and has traversed the globe."