Meet Haydn Brown, Fashion Communications Portfolio Award Winner at GFW22. Haydn studied at Northumbria University.
How do you feel about winning a GFW22 award?
It’s very surreal! I’ve spent so many years refining my style and creating work that I hope can inspire people and to get recognition from industry professionals at such a high standard means so much.
What was the inspiration starting point for your award-winning FMP?
As a queer creator I’ve always been very aware of both how difficult it can be to get into the commercial industry and also seeing how much queer artists can be either tokenised or discredited. During the first lockdown I started an Instagram page called @theklosetclub where we shared art from the community daily and developed a space for people to connect. This was something I had also wanted to develop into a magazine so when the opportunity was there I took it!
What skills did you learn and develop during the production of your FMP?
During my final project I learned a lot of new skills including, networking with artists, compiling content, using an editorial eye to create compositions and a good flow, the process of printing and promoting a magazine and also a lot of PR and marketing techniques.
What were some challenges that you faced in producing your FMP and how did you overcome these?
One of my biggest challenges was ensuring that my work was reflective of my morals in the sense it had to be inclusive and represent all aspects of the queer community. To do this I created a questionnaire for those submitting to their story and give a bit more context about them as people and as artists.
Are there any messages or major themes in your FMP that you want people to take away? If so, how did you choose to communicate with them?
That queer art is subjective! It’s not just sexualised art or documentary photography; there are so many amazing artists that don’t get the exposure or the credit they deserve and if people take one thing away from my final project it’s to go out and find these people. But their work, follow them on social media and tell them how great they are.
What is an aspect of the fashion industry that you want to help improve or have a positive impact on?
I would love to work within the fashion photography sector and work within editorials. For me the biggest thing we can do as creatives is show people how different and bright people can be by working alongside models and designers to create a cohesive editorial.
What form does your FMP take? Is it a collection of clothing, book, presentation, etc? If relevant, how did you source the materials for the project?
Magazine and strategy document.
What are your plans for the near future (further study/ internship/ work?) now that you've finished your BA?
I plan on continuing to grow by business and hopefully develop my final project into a business itself!
