DESIGN STATEMENT
True to its name, grit captures the blend of passion and perseverance that shapes the journey of finding oneself. For me, it mirrors the queer experience: a continual uncovering, a reaching for more, a determination to define yourself beyond the expectations placed upon you. Grit is both textural and emotional - something raw and tactile.
Reflection sits at the heart of this editorial: the way we confront ourselves in solitude, the way we recognize fragments of who we are in others, and the reality that transformation often requires being stripped back, reshaped, or stretched. The process is rarely linear - it holds clarity and confusion, joy and pain, vibrance and dullness - and each feeling is part of becoming.
The colour palette of blues, pinks, and neutrals further deepens this narrative, illustrating how gender and sexuality intertwine. Their varied tones and depths echo the emotional spectrum of self-discovery: the light and the dark, the soft and the intense, the moments that spark with colour and those that feel muted. These shades reflect both the complexity of identity and the shifting emotions we move through along the way
TANCHEN - KIKI
FORWARD FOREVER CYCLE
ROW LILY AHERN IS AN EMERGING CREATIVE GRADUATING FROM THE WHITEHOUSE INSTITUTE OF DESIGN. WITH A FOCUS ON FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND A CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO OIL PAINTING, HIS PRACTICE SPANS BOTH IMAGE-MAKING AND TRADITIONAL ART. AS A QUEER MAN, ROW IS ESPECIALLY DRAWN TO WORK THAT REFLECTS QUEER IDENTITIES, EMOTIONAL DEPTH, AND THE SUBTLE NARRATIVES THAT SHAPE LIVED EXPERIENCE. ROW’S CREATIVE APPROACH IS ROOTED IN EXPLORING HOW EMOTION CAN BE EXPRESSED THROUGH TEXTURE, COLOUR, AND FASHION. HE IS FASCINATED BY THE WAY MATERIALS - WHETHER PAINT ON CANVAS OR FABRIC IN A PHOTOGRAPH - CAN HOLD FEELING AND COMMUNICATE VULNERABILITY, STRENGTH, AND TRANSFORMATION. HIS WORK OFTEN MERGES THESE ELEMENTS TO CREATE IMAGERY THAT FEELS BOTH CONSIDERED AND DEEPLY PERSONAL. MOVING FORWARD, ROW HOPES TO KEEP EXPANDING HIS PRACTICE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION AND COLLABORATION, CONTINUALLY FINDING NEW WAYS TO BLEND STORYTELLING, AESTHETICS, AND EMOTIONAL HONESTY. HIS GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A BODY OF WORK THAT NOT ONLY REFLECTS HIS OWN JOURNEY BUT RESONATES WITH THOSE WHO SEE THEMSELVES IN THE THEMES HE EXPLORES.
