In conversation with .. 5!

KALTBLUT chats to Colombian born fashion designer Mateo Velasquez, a talented London-based
graduate of Central Saint Martin’s, on his new series “Leather Boys”, on the
topics of homoeroticism, hyper-masculinity and his self-exploration of his own queer
identity.
Hi Mateo, how are you?
Hey! I’m well, trying to keep myself busy
in these trying times.
How’s lockdown life treating you?
Mateo: To be honest it has been sort of
a blessing in disguise. A much-needed
break to stop and reconsider, evaluate and
decide what’s worth going back to, and at
what pace, once this is all over.
How are you staying motivated as a designer?
I take it as an opportunity to start fresh
with thoughtful actions, re-visit old projects,
exercise and keep mindful about
what I can bring on next.
What’s your earliest fashion memory and
when did you know you wanted to create
your own designs?
I remember my grandmother customising
clothing for my father back in Colombia,
then throughout my teenage years I was
obsessed with Jeremy Scott. I saw myself
identifying with the non-conformity of his
work, but it wasn’t until I arrived in London
at the age of 17 when I first became
interested in making. I started sewing
clothes for myself as I could never find
things I actually wanted to wear.
You recently dropped the first part of
your ‘Leather Boys’ collection; talk me
through the main inspiration for this series?
I found the initial reference for this project
on ‘Casa Susanna’ a series of documentary
snaps discovered at a flea market taken in
the mid-’70s depicting a group of ‘heterosexual’
men who would travel to a refuge
outside New York where they were allowed
and encouraged (often by their own wives)
to dress as women; that took me into researching
further into subcultures where
flexibility in gender behaviour is allowed,
where the hyper-masculinity atmosphere
allows for homoerotic behaviour, sexual
fluidity and expression.
What can we expect from Part Two?
The collection has been developing organically.
Part One explores the more feminine
and fragile side of the story and it
develops into the sexual and the exposed,
giving way to explorations of queer identity
and the leather archetype based on
non-acceptance and rebellion coming in
Part Two.
How would you say Leather Boys differs
in comparison to your previous collection?
When I started this project I knew I wanted
it to have a holistic view all-around, making
garments, not for the sake of producing
and self-satisfying my creative pursuits
but instead, making it responsibly
by up-cycling most of the materials from
garments found at car-boot sales, charity
shops and so on.
Have you expanded or developed any elements
from your previous collections?
I’m influenced by my own queer identity,
so the running themes of gender and exploration
of queer culture, as well as some
multicultural elements, are something innate
within my aesthetic and design process.
As a young designer, how do you think
you can stay unique and stand out in
your own way?
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