4 minute read
What Lydia Made
True colours
Self-taught fashion designer Lydia Morrow reveals how making her own clothes set her free in more ways than one
Words LOU BOYD
Lydia Morrow’s clothing is joyful. The 26-year-old self-taught fashion designer – who describes her style as “half toddler, half grandma” and introduces herself on her Instagram as a “disabled queer doofus mum” – designs apparel that champions size-inclusivity and promotes ethical practices. With thousands of fans, she’s now one of the most recognisable faces in the UK’s handmade clothing movement.
Morrow’s fashion career was born not of inspiration, but of necessity. Having fallen pregnant in her final year at the Glasgow School of Art, the then-22-year-old found that as her body outgrew standard sizing, a lot of clothing became unavailable to her. To address this, she decided to make her own. “The changing shape of my body was a do-or-die moment,” she says. “I could either live my life in unbelievable amounts of shame and repression, or do whatever I want and wear clothing that makes me happy.”
Morrow posted her designs online, which built her a following and led to the launch of a successful underwear line. But, three years down the line, after being diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) – a disorder that affects the skin, joints and connective tissues – work had become too much for her. So Morrow took a risk, closing the brand she’d built and moving into one-off commissions. It paid off – US rock star Courtney Love was among the first to contact her for a piece. Here, Morrow explains how we should all dress the way we want to live: for ourselves. event with [Love] and they pitched a bajillion artists. She chose her favourite 30 and it included me. I was so anxious when I went to the event, but I did get to talk to her. She complimented my dress.
How did you approach making the dress?
I based it around a message from the album. I like text that has many interpretations, because clothing can also speak in different ways. Pretty on the Inside was pitched to me as a joyful riot-grrrl album, but I felt that it was the work of a woman who had gone through so much. There’s longing and pain in there. While she’s had a unique life, there are themes that all women can relate to. That’s why I used the lyrics, “Why do you want more?” All women have felt that.
Is it difficult to make your wardrobe ethical?
I fall into the middle class, and for anyone who’s in the spectrum of middle class it’s pretty easy. Capitalism, and how it makes some people rely on fast fashion, is what perpetuates the problem. We must accept the fact that accessibility to ethical fashion is a class issue.
How can one start practising ethical fashion?
A huge amount of it is delayed gratification – developing patience beyond the moment of purchase, and doing research. I used to fight the urge to consume or collect beautiful things, because I thought that minimalism equalled conscious consumption. But I now realise that collecting beautiful things is very human and a lovely part of what kind of creatures we are. Look on social media for people who promote ethical fashion, and see where they shop. There is so much out there when you start looking for it. Instagram: @whatlydiamade
the red bulletin: You studied painting and printmaking at the Glasgow School of Art. What made you move into fashion design?
lydia morrow: I like how art can exist outside the white cube space, and I realised that the clothes we wear can be a piece of art, an expression or performance. When I was pregnant, I had a huge identity crisis about not being able communicate through my physical body any more. I got excited about the idea of textiles creating that conversation for me.
You’ve said your garments exist outside the male gaze. Is that a conscious decision?
It’s just how I design. Very rarely were men buying my underwear brand; it was either queer women for their partner, or people buying it for themselves. Also, becoming a fat person is very freeing. You’re outside the pressures of the male gaze, because it’s based on a patriarchal size standard. Once that happens, it’s like, “OK, now I just have to create for my own gaze.”
Why did you choose to step away from your successful underwear line?
EDS affects my joints and causes fatigue. I’d been working through it constantly, but I realised it wasn’t worth it. I refunded a month’s worth of orders, took a step back, and figured out what was accessible to me. It felt like an act of self-respect. I was really proud of myself.
Courtney Love commissioned you to make a dress for the 30th anniversary of [her band Hole’s 1991 album] Pretty on the Inside…
It was crazy! [North London studio] Parliament Tattoo was doing an
