Jamie Challinor, BA Fashion Print, Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum Project Sketchbook

My grandad was my muse for the project, enabling me to reflect on masculinity within my family. My nan is a strong woman and when visiting her at home I saw the impact of her feminine tastes on my grandad’s exterior self, like the collection of ceramic plates and floral furniture in the house. Referencing Cristobal Balenciaga’s avant-garde shapes within menswear to illustrate the influence of my nan on my grandad it became clear that placing the accentuated features of a woman on a man’s body in exaggerated places gave a peculiar impression. The final outcome takes classic menswear pieces like Oxford bags, a jacket and shirt and playfully distort the proportions as if my grandad had been re-sculpted by my nan in an attempt to achieve feminine excellence.