Meet Portillo Vazquez, a fashion communications graduate from Heriot Watt University. Alicia’s final year project aims to subvert traditional concepts of masculinity which damage and stunt the freedom of emotion and expression in young boys in Mediterranean countries like Spain, Alicia’s home country. Read on to learn more!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
I have learned to appreciate the value of my own opinion and how relevant is to be aware of what is happening around you and be able to express it in the right way. I learned fashion is more than garments, is a statement about what matters to you in a cultural, social and political way. I learned how important is to represent my heritage and where I’m from in a creative way.
Tell us about your current projects and work, what have you been working on?
This project started during the last summer holidays were we’ve been asked as a summer project to record or holidays and research what we have to say in aspects like culture, politics or social. I was in my parents’ house in Spain and I was hearing a conversation between my dad and my uncle where they were arguing about something and my dad said to my uncle like: “don’t do that, you look gay. Be a man” and that expression to me felt so wrong like from another decade where you could question man’s masculinity by their look or action based just in traditional aspects, in that moment I realise are still countries where this subject is still taboo, where a man has to control what he said to don’t be question if he is enough masculine or not.
If I think about it I wonder how many kids with this kind of background and don’t feel enough save to express them without to be questioned by others and what is worst by them. For me that conversation was the key point, I want it to change it and create a new side for young Spanish boys, I want to give then another option to feel represent it in an obsolete traditional masculinity. I want it to prove to older generation, like my dad’s that they are wrong and a man can do or look different from tradition and still can be consider a man. After this, I have explored male stereotypes and I questioned the social and cultural traditions and the transitions from boy to man in Mediterranean countries like Spain. I questioned also if they are still relevant to describe what makes a man. The aim of this is to show another alternative view to traditional generations like in my own family.
What form does your final project take?
I’ve create a series of mash ups where I represent moments of a man’s life and bought then to stories with the models trough stylised editorial photography where they represent a specific situation. In my own terms I recreate moments like neutral gender when the model represent a kid with nudes and white clothes and plays in the playground without a gender can determine if the game is for boys or girls. Others ones represent the tenderness of feelings and frustration with pastel tones and flowers in a symbolic way. Alongside this photography work, I’ve create a visual section on the zine for each male model and in a graphic design style I incorporate a quote from what they answered this question: “What means to you masculinity?”
The final result of this project would be a coffee table book where would gather together all my work like photography, graphic design and paging layout, which I enjoy putting it together. Beside this physical work would be added a short video where reunite all my work and the process of creation of photo shoots, layout pages or graphics. This project would be squared size (390x390) completely white with an embossing tittle also in white, the body would be three different types of white paper one type with a symmetric design background for the graphic design pages, a semi translucent paper for the photography this would create an old style photo album in the images and a thicker material one for separate sections around the book.
How have you evolved as a young creative while studying / working?
My initial idea was to create a different view of what masculinity means for men around Mediterranean countries, based on traditional, cultural and social aspects, like topical expression, rituals to become a man or specific looks to be able to make then recognise you as a man. Through the research of models with these characteristics, I want it to my entire model team be Spanish or from a Mediterranean country like Italy or Portugal because of the similitudes they share concerning this subject. I want to have big, hairy, “traditional looking”, also old to be my main type of model what I have in my head was the figure and look of men like my dad or a member of my family.
I want it to be most real I can found like traditional man’s you’ll see in the street, but after asking around to all of them, like my friend and friend of a friend, I found out most of the Mediterranean men I ask to be my models they refuse to do it because if they look too different than the normal acceptance people could think of them, like they are not enough man, even if what I ask them was for a good cause, as a university project. This answer shows me, still are many Spanish men are not ready to change and see progressively what means masculinity. An example of this was to ask my father (We are Spanish) to model for me, his answer was no because he could look "gay". This is a normal answer still and that's what I want it to change.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
The main message behind my work is for any Mediterranean man to have more than one type of masculinity role. I want them to embrace any kind of men they want to be. The message behind my work is to show to creative people that your heritage and your personal experiences can also be a big source of inspiration. I also aim to show people to don’t use other cultures as an appropriation but if users do it respectfully, with the right models and wit a strong research background. Trying to understand other cultures and society and asking these people about their experiences and feeling and how they would like to represent it. My message is also for generations like my dad, who grow up with only one right type of masculinity, and for those people who still associate traditional habits to the definition of gender. I would like to help them understand times changes and is necessary for an update where any man can feel accepted in their terms.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
A respectful way to use heritage culture as a source of inspiration would be something I would love to change in the fashion industry. For me my heritage and where I’m from its been always a big part of what I do, I’ve always been really expressive and like it to discuss social issues that affect me or other around me. For this reason, I want it to showcase in my work a subject is been around me, the stereotype of the gender. I think is still necessary to represent men in more than one way and keep talking and creating to make more visible their issues too.
What is your plan for the future?
My plan after I finish my degree is to do placements and internships where I can keep learning. After that I would love to get a full-time job in my sector which is art direction or anything similar, would be a dream. But I still would like to keep doing my own projects where I experiment with ideas and photography and submitted to magazines, competitions or exhibitions, to have the opportunity to be showcased in some platforms. I think is important to keep learning, so I want to keep working in my portfolio where I can be free to create with my own voice.