Meet Alex Mpankuli, a fashion design student from Liverpool John Moores University. Alex’s project is called Anthony Caro Structures, and is inspired by two series of work (Seven Decades and The Park Avenue series) by sculptural artist Antony Caro. A six piece womenswear collection, Antony Caro Structures explores Alex’s interpretation of feminine beauty. Read on to learn more about his work and his plans for the future.
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
Allowing myself room to grow and not being too hard on myself in my design journey. Coming from an East African family, education is important and it is taught that you have to be the best of the best due to our background and the limited opportunities we can capitalise on. When I was younger I thought aiming for to be the best meant being the best out of your peers, but through my journey at university, I have learnt it's being the best version of yourself.
Tell us about your current projects and work, what have you been working on?
Titled - Antony Caro Structures, this project focused on exploring the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex, by looking at two series of work (Seven Decades and The Park Avenue series) by sculptural artist Antony Caro. I produced a six-piece womenswear garment collection with 3D printed accessories such as shoes and bags to match.
What form does your work take?
It is in the form of garments and concentrating on these two series of Antony Caro’s work, using structure and shape as a base for silhouettes, creating interesting frames on the body, allowing me to experiment with scale and placement and present my take on what feminine beauty is. My initial research explores 34 of Caro’s work within two series. This allowed me to get a range of contours to then start developing into garments. My accessories were also influenced by Caro’s work in order to archive a modern and contemporary feel.
How have you evolved as a young creative while studying / working?
I came to university "fashion ready" (as one of tutors put it to me haha). I would spend ages looking at runway shows, finding designers who spoke to me and I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It makes me happy and feeds my soul, its my purpose in life. In my third year I felt really challenged by my tutors (Andrew Ibi and Carol Ryder, who are amazing!) to push my concepts and ideas to a cleaner understanding. Whilst I was 'fashion ready' , I often had too many ideas, which made some of my work too noisy and compact, trying to fit everything and anything in. I struggled with this for the majority of my time at uni and got frustrated with myself as I couldn't seem to get what my tutor's meant, until Andrew put it in a way which i understood it. This is how I have evolved.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
As an openly gay black man, I wanted to bring awareness to issues in my community. In my second year I explored the Underground Ballroom Scene in New York. I remember watching Paris Is Burning for the first time and being so intrigued in it that i watched it 3 more times. So going back to uni that year I knew I wanted to involve it in my project somehow. The overall message I wanted convey is that their are different personalities and interests in black men and that the stereotypical views are definitely not true. I try to put messages about cultural appropriation, the black male stereotype, awareness of black artists, diversity in the modelling industry, feminism and black trans rights.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Diversity + Inclusivity. As a black man I feel there are not many chances for me and others to work within the industry I want to. There is little black designers for me to look at compared to my white counterparts. Racism in the industry is ripe and this is one of the reasons that led me to start my own brand. I have had friends who are in the modelling industry tell me about the experiences of racism in micro-aggressions at castings or a shoot which makes me feel angry. I have even seen it for myself in magazine publication for years, Black models are either used as caricature or tokenism.
What is your plan for the future?
i current have my own business (@Alexmdesign) which is a free space where I can practise my craft and keep evolving as a creative. i do hope to land a job in the luxury fashion industry as designer but at the moment I am enjoying learning and continue to develop my craft. I want to make a change in the industry by sharing the truth about my community and talking about some of the issues people won't discuss or choose to ignore. I also want to give back to my community through any creative means so that young creatives like me can see the possibilities beyond her circumstances.