Rising British-Filipino designer Shaun Jordan talks about diaspora and dysphoria, and how he transformed his cultural detachment into powerful art
“I fell in love with the art form,” says London-based, British-Filipino designer Shaun Jordan about his craft, revealing that fashion wasn’t initially his career choice. When he was younger, he envisioned himself as a graphic designer, putting only fashion and textile as an afterthought.
But even though he didn’t exactly wind up in the graphics industry, it’s obvious that the techniques of bold color and print still prevail in his work.
“There was a seemingly weird, innate response to fashion design when I started learning it,” Jordan recalls, saying that he was inspired by TV shows like Project Runway and FashionTV, as well as by the most stylish person in his family—his mom. “I was always excited for the classes, unlike the first one that I chose. Continuously craving to create art on the body was just so intriguing to me.”
Jordan fully realized his ideology from his graduate collection “Sa Ilalim ng Araw,” in Central Saint Martins (CSM), which is a line that stems from core themes of personal identity and cultural navigation. He wanted the work to not only provoke conversations about identity, but also bring a sense of empathy toward anyone who connects with his own experiences and journey. The most important thing? To have people in any way, shape, or form relate with the stories he tells.
“I always start with self-reflection,” Jordan narrates. “What am I feeling? Why? This idea of self-reflection was one of the main storylines under my graduate collection, which narrates my diaspora and dysphoria growing up. After years of struggling to connect to my British and Filipino cultural roots, I finally came to a conclusion of acceptance and pride within my mixed-race heritage. I thought, what better way to bring this chapter to a close than to write a poetic love story about the duality of nationalities?”
After his introspection, Jordan makes it a point to connect primary research with what correlates emotionally to him and the theme. He places great emphasis on the drawing process not only because it’s one of his favorite aspects of making a collection, but also because he can’t progress any further without physically seeing his drafts drawn.
“There’s something beautiful about letting your mind run free with just a paper and pencil,” Jordan exclaims. “I created this collection through combining research about ’90s British menswear and reminiscing about Filipino childhood. I am creating my own idea of identity to escape the societal pressures of having to be in a certain community and align with everyone else. This escapism manifested in the work as a ‘beach-resort holiday’ and ‘under the sun’ aesthetic.”
This excerpt is from Fashion Feature: Shaun Jordan found in MEGA’s December 2022 – January 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader, and Zinio.
Design Assistant JAMIE CHALLINOR
Assistant BEVERLY CORPUZ
Shoemaker DANIEL CHARKOW
Model MIKEYE MENDOZA
All pieces by SHAUN JORDAN
