Frankie Andrien has had a lifelong appreciation for all forms of art, especially anything they could touch or make with their hands. After years of sewing their own Halloween costumes and a few months of running the sales floor at a fabric store, they confirmed for themself what everyone around them already knew: they enjoy nothing more than being surrounded by fabric. Over the course of the program, they’ve combined their love of textile arts with their passions for writing and theater. They see fashion the way they see words: as an important tool for self-expression, which can deliver anything from simple facts to dramatic performances (their work tends to be the latter). They hope to continue being surrounded by fabric and telling big stories for many years to come.
Basar (בשר) was initially inspired by kriah, a Jewish mourning ritual surrounding the tearing and mending of clothes. It tells the story of grief as it impacts the body, from when a wound is first torn open to when it scars over. Featuring nude base fabrics, bold crimson accents, leather accessories, and hand embroidery, Basar is filled with visceral imagery of flesh and skin as it celebrates the human body’s capacity to break apart and to heal. Because the line depicts a change, each individual look transforms on the runway, from a skirt ripped in half down the center to a patchwork robe that becomes a cape. Basar takes inspiration from drag, burlesque, and other forms of queer theater in order to make each look a dynamic piece of performance art, meant to be watched, touched, and even heard.