Whether it is Demi Moore on the steps of the Met Gala, in a heart shaped gown made of vintage archival wallpaper, or Beyoncé astride a horse wearing an enormous feathered headpiece on the cover of Vogue, anybody wearing Harris Reed will stop you in your tracks. Embracing theatrical proportions, dramatic shapes and unexpected textures, the avant-garde designer’s work often looks more like sculpture than clothing.
Since he burst onto the scene as a fashion student in 2017, the 28-year-old designer has created one gasp-inducing moment after another with his gender-fluid demi-couture collections under his Harris Reed brand and as creative director of Nina Ricci. Born in LA and raised in Arizona, Reed moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins and his college collections attracted the attention of Harry Styles for whom he then designed tour costumes and dressed as the first male cover star of Vogue US. Since then, his designs have been worn by the likes of Iman, Adele, Lil Nas X, Nicki Minaj and Florence Pugh, and last year, he published his debut book, Fluid: A Fashion Revolution, an exploration of fashion, gender fluidity and challenging power structures.
Here, he tells CULTUR.ART about the importance of taking up space, how his clothes are designed to make people feel a little bit uncomfortable and why he believes art is like “beautiful therapy”.
When did you first consider yourself an artist?
It was more that as a kid, I always was fascinated by the art of dressing up. I loved the psychology behind putting something on your body and getting a reaction from that. I think being a young, queer kid – coming out aged nine – I was always really intrigued by people having such a visceral reaction to what people wore and how they expressed themselves and the way that people would get angry or upset about it. There was kind of an art in being authentic to yourself. It was probably only when I was in my second year at Central Saint Martins that I finally looked at myself as being an artist. Because I realised that what I was doing was modern art – it was what we put on our backs and what we wear. Being surrounded by painters, jewellery makers, dancers, people doing ceramics, I realised that I was part of an artist community and I was an artist.
Was art and culture an important part of your upbringing?
100%. For me, art is complete and utter escapism. I think it allows people to find different facets of themselves that they wouldn’t have been able to find if they weren’t looking at an incredible painting or a performance or a piece of clothing. I think it allows people to dream outside of their means and the limitations around them and it really opens up people’s perspective and minds.
Photos by Suleika Mueller of Harris Reed SS25
What (or who) is inspiring you at the moment?
I’m forever and always inspired by and in awe of Francis Bacon. The recent show at the National Portrait Gallery, I found incredibly moving. Again, I think it’s so extraordinary how you can just be completely transported by a painting and almost – like a beautiful therapy session – have to check in with yourself and look at depths of yourself that you maybe never even knew were there, and have to confront things you’ve been putting off. It can get brought to the surface in a really powerful way through art.
Why is designing and making clothes your chosen method of storytelling?
I don’t know how to storytell any other way. For me, it’s second nature. It’s about creating a character and playing with cloth and playing with movement of fabric to just allow someone to be the best version of themselves, or express an aspect of themselves that they didn’t know they could or that they’ve always dreamt of.
Photo by Jason Lloyd Evans
What role has fashion played in your journey to understanding your own gender fluidity?
Fashion was how I expressed myself the way that some people express themselves through a paintbrush. Mine was through a boa. It was playing with my identity through clothing that I found myself. It was absolutely pivotal for me in my upbringing.
You’ve said that a lot of your clothing is “powered by the shame that queer people feel”. Can you expand on that?
Everything that I do is about being loud and taking up space, which I think is something a lot of queer people feel they can’t do. Or they don’t feel safe enough to do. I take so much pride in the privileged space of my studio to dive into dark trauma that I’ve had from my own queer experiences or those of others around me or others that have come before me, and use that kind of as fuel. That sounds kind of strategic but there’s nothing strategic about it. It’s about where my mind goes and being able to take that pain and times where I’ve felt small and do the opposite. To make people and myself feel louder and bigger and more grand. And that comes across in the work that I do being so much about taking up space and things being so large and in your face. Because a lot of times people feel they have to hide away out of fear for who they are.
How do you want people to feel when they wear your clothes?
I would say a little bit uncomfortable, but in the best sense. I think sometimes when we’re feeling a bit uncomfortable, we push through a bit of ourselves that we maybe leaned into before. I’m not saying being physically uncomfortable by the clothes being too tight or too heavy, but more uncomfortable in the fact that they are playing with a part of themselves that’s maybe louder or more dramatic or more queer or more fabulous or more over the top. I think that you find yourself so much more through that and by the end of the night, you’ve become a character that maybe you’ve always dreamt of playing.
What keeps you excited about coming into work and sitting down with a sketchbook or a sewing machine?
My team. I have a really amazing team in London and they put up with all my crazy antics and non-conventional ways of working and are able to handle this ADHD, ADD, OCD, dyslexic, dyspraxic, queer boss who sits on the table and asks a thousand questions while doing a thousand other things and completely does not work in a linear way whatsoever!
How does your work for Harris Reed differ to your work for Nina Ricci? What do each of those spaces allow you to do?
I think the beautiful thing about Nina Ricci and Harris Reed is that Harris Reed is where I go to dream my biggest dream and sometimes realise my biggest nightmare and play with clothing in a way where I find it almost fine art. While I find Nina Ricci is a place where I get to go and play but still respect an almost hundred year old heritage. But also make pieces that are affordable luxury. Being able to give something off the rack that has meaning and love but isn’t a demi-couture piece like we do at the Harris Reed brand.
Why do you believe in using the power of art – in this case, fashion design – to make meaningful change?
Because without it, the world would be a very grey and sad space.
What would you say to someone who feels like the world of arts and culture isn’t made for them?
I would say don’t write it off until you’ve tried everything. I think a lot of times people think that art is just someone who paints a painting but have they seen contemporary dance? Have they experienced ballet? Have they seen extraordinary ceramics? Have they seen lighting design? Try everything and if you’re not in a space financially to try these things, watch YouTube videos, try to attend free workshops when you can, try to go to the public library. I think everyone is an artist deep down and it’s really about getting to a place where you can discover that.
Written by Rachael Sigee. Check out all of her amazing platforms! https://rachaelsigee.com/
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