Pregnancy Menswear

Ani Liu 2020
silk organza, LED panels, 58 x 32 x 202 cm
Special thanks to technical collaborator Philip Sawyer.

Pregnancy Menswear is a garment that explores non-female and transgender pregnancy through suiting. This series reveals how design can normalize and remake stigmatized assumptions about gender, sex, fertility, and parenthood. Examining the history of both maternity wear and suiting, this garment was designed after many conversations with various transgendered persons around the topics of pregnancy, fertility, and the type of garments that make them feel empowered. Blurring boundaries between gender, sex, fertility, and vulnerability, the garment is designed to appear as a sketch of an idea, and is created in silk and rigid boning. Here, fashion is used to validate an identity in space and time, illustrating how bodies are partially constructed through the social technology of clothing.