Sarah jayne

Deriving from a ‘Baron d’Rowland’ of Rolokecastel in the south of England, as well as self-identifying as a womenswear designer, I am led to question what it means to be a lady in modern society. Double standards can be found when looking at the expectations of the modern-day lady through the male gaze. It appears no matter what we women do, nothing is satisfactory, and everything is criticized, therefore we should only aim to please ourselves if we are not accepted in a misogynistic society. Evidently, this monochromatic behaviour can be found in terms of objectifying a woman’s body and how she may choose to adorn it.

‘Roloke’ S/S 21, my graduate capsule collection, challenges the vulgarity of the human naked body and defies the patriarchal commandment in how a woman should behave. What we choose to put on our bodies should not be for others, but rather for ourselves to enjoy. Therefore, the goal is to empower women (as well as self-practice myself) to dominate and dress for themselves, to find comfort in their own skin, and to open society’s eyes to the problematic views on female sexuality.

Ironically, the collection reflects how some women dress under the influencing factor of male attraction. There seems to be a ratio between 'skin' & 'attraction'; the more skin we show, the more desirable we are. Is that perhaps why it is shocking to undress, because that's the opposite of what we are supposed to do?

Pushing boundaries with the concept of concealment/revealment through transparencies of fine fabrics, I am instantaneously both dressing & undressing the woman. I am shifting erogenous zones (especially for the modern-day female where the body’s entirety has become sexualised). Through bodyline contours & lingerie elements, I am able to speak more directly about the disassociations of a woman’s body. The problem is not sexualisation, it’s the degradation that comes with women expressing this.