Heather Marie Scholl explored the nature of gender, race and sexuality and the role it plays in fashion which, for all its political points, makes for interesting design. How can a designer visually express a conceptual idea, one that is at dual odds with itself (pain & glamour)? We see a collection that is bright and clever with a look that seems to borrow from the 80’s, the kind of hard cheerfulness that can mark a decade. The collection works to make the viewer ask questions and seek answers which reminds us that fashion is indeed art.

From the press release:

Heather Marie Scholl was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where she completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Race, Gender, and Sexuality. Scholl earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Fashion and Knitwear Design from Academy of Art
University, and her Fall 2013 collection brings together her seemingly separate fields of study. Through her garments, she sought to explore the often sexually obsessed nature of queer culture, and the duality of pain and glamour that can come with it. She constructed her collection from wool, cotton and wool knit, and
embellished pieces with glass beads.

Photos by Randy Brooke/Getty