Welcome to Queer by Design, a new monthly column by GAY TIMES Contributing Editor Jamie Windust. Here, Jamie profiles emerging designers about the intersections of style, identity and expression and how these factors inform their creative practice.
Exaggerated shoulders, sleek silhouettes and sophisticated tailoring are but a few of the stylistic hallmarks of Liverpool-raised designer Patrick McDowell. While they’ve already established themself as an industry leader here in the UK, they first launched their eponymous label just six years ago, in 2018 – the same year they graduated from prestigious fashion school CSM.
However, McDowell can trace their interest in fashion back much farther than this, to their Merseyside childhood. Here, they’d watch women get dolled up for nights out – witnessing the ways that style and beauty could be sources of strength and empowerment that seemed to radiate on an almost molecular level. “I was amazed by how the clothes they wore transformed how they presented to the world,” McDowell recalls. “I always wanted to be a part of that feeling.”
This nostalgia aside, the future of fashion is forward-thinking – and it’s an ethos that McDowell fully embraces. Not only does their brand use advanced sustainable materials, but it has recently pivoted to an innovative, eco-conscious business model. Unlike many other labels, the garments recently showcased in McDowell’s AW24 collection won’t be snapped up by buyers to be paraded in stores once the season changes. Rather, items will be released in a made-to-order capacity and meted out across the year via drops, timed strategically in order to minimise environmental concerns.
I don't think I'd be where I am today without being queer. It's been a superpower that has allowed me to view the world differently and create my own path.
Queerness is also, perhaps unexpectedly, intertwined with McDowell’s sustainability-first, made-to-order model. Working to the unique measurements of the customer, rather than adhering to the restrictive sizing requirements and gender divisions of ready-to-wear, the designer proudly acknowledges that “we can create pieces for any body and gender identity”.
To celebrate McDowell’s triumphant AW24 show at London Fashion Week, GAY TIMES caught up with the designer to discuss the potent power of a queer perspective, the identity-affirming nature of fashion, and how their brand is nurturing the next generation of design talent.
The Patrick McDowell brand has bloomed since we last spoke. What has it been like to see your work inspire new conversations around fashion and sustainability?
It’s incredible to see the growth of the brand over the last two years. We’ve worked hard to do things differently and it’s so rewarding to see us grow into a future-facing fashion brand. We are made-to-order and limited edition so we create a limited number of pieces that fit our clients properly. I’m proud to say we can create pieces for any body and gender identity – we’re really trying to complete the circle and think how we can do this in a better way.
Your SS24 ‘A Tragedy In Fashion’ collection had so many brilliant collaborations including with Lee Jeans and Rambert Dance Company. How does working with other creative practitioners enrich your designs?
I’ve always been interested in working with and celebrating others. My work expands and grows through highlighting and collaborating with others. It’s a huge privilege to work alongside so many other creative voices.
Community, in all of its forms, has been at the heart of the brand since day one. I’m always looking for new ways to embody this within what we do as a company, so creating a different conversation in the fashion space around how to connect with new communities (and new dimensions of communities we’re already a part of) is both fulfilling and important.
As a child, I used to watch the women of Liverpool dress up for nights out. I was amazed by how the clothes they wore transformed how they presented to the world.
As your brand has evolved, have you had to change the way you express your queerness?
I’ve always felt so lucky to be able to express and understand my queerness through my work. It’s been a real joy to see it grow and develop. I think together we are growing up, exploring more nuanced expressions and fully stepping into ourselves. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without being queer. It’s been a superpower that has allowed me to view the world differently and create my own path.
How has creative education played a role in your brand?
Nurturing creative education is a foundation of Patrick McDowell. I have always been in awe of how life-changing creative education was for me, through my amazing high school art teacher Ali McWatt or through the unique pedagogy at CSM. I’ve been keen since day one to build education into my work. It’s been incredible to set up a scholarship at CSM through my work, with the Italian brand Pinko, to support the next generation of talent. Also, I’ve been able to support students across the country through my role as Global Ambassador for Graduate Fashion Week.
How do you feel when you see LGBTQIA+ people coming across your work for the first time?
As a child, I used to watch the women of Liverpool dress up for nights out. I was amazed by how the clothes they wore transformed how they presented to the world. I always wanted to be a part of that feeling. A feeling I grew to love myself as I explored my own clothing choices and as a means of presenting myself as the type of person I wanted to be. I’m very proud to design clothes that make people feel strong, powerful and beautiful. I want to create pieces that allow people to be whoever they are inside. Pieces that make you feel able to proudly go out into the world and say, ‘This is me’.