Tiago Bessa

Hermaphrodite is my graduate collection, which explores the social gender construct and my difficulty in fitting in it. Throughout my life the word “Hermaphrodite” has been attached to me in a derogatory way, as to mock my non-binary identity. Through researching on the topic a recurring issue came up: the non-consensual surgery on intersex minors. This was the kick start of the collection since to me intersex people are living proof of how flawed the gender binary is.

Hermaphrodite references different specimens of Orchids as a metaphor for genitalia since they are flowers with what you might call “ambiguous genitalia”,
but also to tailoring and high fashion techniques as that is a big part of my upbringing. I was raised by my mother and grandmother, who are a pattern-maker and a seamstress respectively, in their own atelier and spent most of my time being surrounded by beautiful gowns and silk mikados.I wanted to pay homage not only to that little queer kid, but also to those who played a huge role in the development of my femininity.