Hidden stories #1

This coat with brightly coloured print, eye-catching tags and dramatic sleeves is made for the spotlight. Yamuna Forzani created her Sisterhood not CISerhood collection in our Textile Lab and aims to make short work of gender stereotypes and unwritten rules in the fashion world.  

A community as inspiration

Designer, artist and queer activist Yamuna Forzani works at the intersection of fashion, performance and visual art. She finds inspiration in the queer community of which she is also a part. With her tapestries, outfits and graphics, she pays tribute to her alternative queer family: the ballroom* house Kiki House of Angels. The colourful designs are a playful combination of the body, sexuality, camp culture and kitsch. This coat is one of the most sculptural pieces in Forzani's collection.

Yamuna Forzani (right) at work in the TextielLab together with product developer Mathilde Vandenbussche (left). Photo: Tommy de Lange

Creativity x technique

In 2018, Yamuna created the Sisterhood not CISerhood collection, for which several fabrics were knitted in our TextielLab. In this professional workspace, she worked closely with product developer and knitting specialist Mathilde Vandenbussche to bring the highly detailed design to life. For this, the circular knitting machine was used, which can knit with 1680 needles and six colours simultaneously. Such a project requires special expertise, as the digital design has to be translated into the machine's software. Creative vision and technical capabilities were combined to create a beautiful product. Over the years, Yamuna has not only developed as a graphic designer and artist, she also learnt the skills of digital knitting and now programs her own designs.  

Photo: Tommy de Lange

A name as a design

Forzani has been working on the aforementioned circular knitting machine for various fashion and art designs since 2016. Thanks to its many needles, this machine is very precise and allows you to create very detailed images. As a result, the technique also is very suitable for knitting letters and Yamuna has taken advantage of this opportunity. In her project, typography and the proud use of her own name as a brand play an important role. She wanted to question the unwritten rules of the fashion world, not only in terms of gender but also the idea that only world-famous brands can use their name as a design. 

The coat was part of the 'Common threads' exhibition in 2020/2021. Photo: Josefina Eikenaar 

Loud and soft

The TextielMuseum acquired the coat for its museum collection in 2019.  This coat caught our attention not only because of its technical aspects but also because it is such a striking example of how fashion and textiles contribute to the identity and expression of queer people and communities. Where the fashion world has strictly women's and men's collections, this Sisterhood not CISerhood coat can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender identity, size or age. Where the outside screams lavish, the lining of the coat is soft, rich and almost regal. That precious feeling is further emphasised by the pearls that Forzani manually embellished the machine-knitted fabric with.  You don't just carry this coat on your shoulders, you yourself are carried by the coat too.

* The ballroom scene is a movement in the LGBTQIA+ scene that originated in New York. It involves events called "balls" where contestants walk on a catwalk and compete in various categories for prizes, trophies or glory. The competitions consist of a mix of dance, drag, lip-synching and model walking.