Harris’ clothes are expressive in their design, blending glam rock references with the romance of the Oscar Wilde period and the flamboyance of debutantes. Fashion is performative, and what you put on your back becomes a message to others, and telling of how you view the world. Harris does not simply create beautiful outfits, but social and political statements. By blurring the lines between what men, women, and non-binary people can wear, Harris breaks down toxic stereotypes. Their work is one of rebellion and risk-taking; from the narrative they weave to their working life – their graduate collection was named Thriving In Our Outrage. Harris has stitched outfits for Harry Styles on a £50 sewing machine and turned out two collections in a pandemic. Their fearlessness and determination to get their message out to the world is contagious, arguing that the only way to break down society’s current sexist, racist, transphobic and homophobic narrative is by pushing authentic individuality and non- conforming self-expression.
However, Harris is no stranger to hate. From a young age, they were boxed in by other people’s expectations of what they must look like. Fear comes from a lack of understanding, and many people are afraid of that which breaks the status quo. Harris started out to use fashion as a tool to reclaim their identity – fighting against what society imagined for them and building up a persona using outward expression as a guide. To them, representation is critical in the fight against hate. Today, those that have been forcefully silenced are fighting to have their voice heard, and they must be supported and listened to. Only once we have seen and welcomed the multi-faceted spectrum of being can hate be dissipated and assumptions dropped.