Like most teenagers, I am skint. I love fashion, particularly designers such as Viktor and Rolf and Vivienne Westwood, but I have never been able to afford any of it. I combat this by making my own clothes, and disassembling and reassembling old ones – it’s not that hard. I buy fabrics from Shepherds Bush market, car boot sales and charity shops. Some things take a week to make, others can take up to a month, but it’s always worth the wait. I only have basic sewing skills and I am by no means a tailor, but through my youth group and classes I am getting better all the time. I am also studying to be a techy, you know, doing sound, lighting, and costume and set design. I spend most of my time painting sets, focusing lights and making model boxes. Oh, and trying to find a decent pair of vegan shoes. I am also currently working on a dress made entirely from silvery reflective tablecloth material.

I enjoy making my own clothes because I enjoy the cut, fit and style that comes from doing it yourself. Plus, you know that no one is wearing anything like it. I’m always really proud when someone asks me where my dress is from and I can say that I made it myself. It’s important for teenagers to be able to express themselves, and I think clothing is a brilliant way of doing that. As a lesbian, at secondary school I often struggled, and felt that I had to hide part of my identity. I thought that if the other girls at school had known I was queer, my opinions and thoughts would have become invalid. Unfortunately, it eventually got out and I was made to feel like shit. However, I am now at a point where I don’t care anymore. I wear what I want and do what I want, regardless of what people may think. Which is the way it should be.

Text by Ramona Mason | Photographs by Michael Thomas Jones
As featured in Dazed & Confused January Issue.