“Dear Melancholy,” is an exploration of the allure of tragedy in media and social media. An aesthetic online, dominated by youth and youth culture that is obsessed with this sense of aging. I dived into the roots of my affection towards this phenomenon and explored the desirable characteristics and aesthetics associated with tragedy.
While researching this topic I re-stumbled into the quote; He who has a why can bear almost any how’(Friedich Nietzsche, 1889)(Viktor E Frankle, 1946) from a book I was reading last year called ‘Man’s search for meaning’. Viktor E. Frankle sees the ‘will to meaning’ as an essential need in human life and to find and fulfill meaning as the basic motivation in human life. The moment there is meaning in one’s pain, it ceases to be suffering and becomes sacrifice. Suffering for a cause, being selfless, and having hardships are characteristics that are admirable, beautiful and desirable to me.
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of this aesthetic is the ability to find purpose in suffering and triumph over it. The aesthetic is not only my object of desire because of its mesmerizing and poetic visual language, but also its admirable philosophy.
I translated the research into this collection. And created a bridge between clean formal attire and bold silhouettes derived from streetwear looks. It not only combines the two Archetypes of clothing, but is garnished with a combination of misplaced pockets, raw hems, fraying, and clean sewing. Every look embodies the Idea of tragedy and "the will to meaning" through the development and function of the fabric treatments and garments. I destroyed and reconstructed these garments and gave them new meanings/functions.
‘This is truly a love letter to myself, where I embrace every component associated with this phenomenon, that had me fascinated throughout my childhood and to this day, and translate my conception of beautifully tragic through color, visual language, and design philosophy into each individual garment.’
