Description:

“Dauerhaft” (which means “enduring” in German) is a fashion capsule-collection that explores the tension between authoritarianism and queer self-expression. The idea for this project was born from a visit to a former Stasi prison in eastern Germany which housed political prisoners and “social dissidents” between 1956 and 1989. Through researching queer and alternative experiences under the authoritarian regime of East Germany and exploring my own queer and German whakapapa, I have designed a collection which embodies a certain resistance to conformity. In an increasingly politically unpredictable world I hope to highlight and further encourage queer subversion and self-expression in the face of adversity.

Uniforms are a common reference in fashion design for their effective communication of power and severity. While Stasi uniforms have been a starting point in my design process, it would not only be uninspired but irresponsible of me to glorify their original forms: deeply rooted symbols of the oppressive regime they were made for. Instead, I have approached the uniform in a manner informed by Henrike Naumann's 2019 installation "Ostalgie", which critiques nostalgia for the
German Democratic Republic (GDR) by recreating and then displacing a traditional GDR home. Following suit, “Dauerhaft” deconstructs and subverts the uniform by queering it through shape and silhouette.

The clothes in the collection all centre around the collar and lapel taken from a traditional Stasi uniform. It features a small lapel, stiff fabrication and grey/green colour. Throughout the garments this collar is deconstructed and displaced around different parts of the body; draped around the hips of a pair of trousers, hanging off the back of a jacket. The garments break away from the stiff, boxy silhouette of the Stasi uniform and instead embrace dramatic silhouettes featuring wide shoulders, peplum hips and ballooning trousers. This reimagining shifts the uniform's symbolism, reversing the power dynamics between the Stasi and LGBTQ+ communities.

The intention with “Dauerhaft” is not to make authoritarian garments
fashionable. It is to show how an abundance of queer and alternative self-
expression can be a catalyst for effective resistance against forced conformity. While authoritarian East Germany is both geographically and historically far away from us here in New Zealand, there is a recent rise of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation globally and right-wing political parties are gaining public favour both in New Zealand and overseas. Therefore, it remains important to learn about authoritarian systems such as East Germany, and to learn from the people that resisted, persevered, and created lives for themselves in societies which demanded conformity.