Emma Blythe is an independent designer currently researching menswear through a feminist gaze. Her work is rooted within her own experiences with gender inequality and expression.
Prior to graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, Blythe worked on a body of work titled “Fashioning Acts of Masculinity”, a collection that explored the role fashion could play in the social discourse of male behaviour. Blythe deconstructed ideas of hegemonic behaviour, offering an alternative viewpoint that touched upon experiences often separated from rational masculine behaviour; such as emotional connection, physical touch and open communication.
For the future, the designer plans to continue her research into feminist issues, this time delving into the realm of womenswear and exploring the concept of a future world, where objects and their traditional meanings have been displaced and transformed.
Aware of the power of emotional memory and the need for slow, sustainable fashion, Emma Blythe looks for ways to repurpose old and used items that she finds expressive, and subvert their original purpose in order to re-imagine a positive future with items from a recognisable past.