Kiki Goti's collection is inspired by feminist accessories from the Victorian period

Androgyny in fashion attests to an urge to resist trite categorisation imposed by society—defiance conspicuous across eras. Rooted in authentic self-expression, it entails unlearning and dismantling said pervasive ‘categories.’ What does this wave, that rose decades ago, inspire today—perhaps even beyond fashion? In pursuit of a new muse, Brooklyn-based Greek architect and designer Kiki Goti takes a trip to the Victorian era—revisiting its distinctive androgynous style and channelling its subtlety into her new series of product designs.

An ode to graceful juxtaposition

Titled Buttoned Up, the series pays homage to Victorian-era androgynous style—feminist accessories and masculine garments worn together to delineate a new genre of self-expression. To conceive the hybrid pieces, Goti draws inspiration from the likes of George Sand, Oscar Wilde, and Amelia Jenks Bloomer; the collection sheds light on and epitomises the subtlety of the androgyne. “The androgyne as the embodiment of graceful juxtaposition; as an embodied figure of speech, blithely oxymoronic; blurring the lines of masculine and feminine conventions,” reads the official release. The ensemble of aluminium lighting designs and accessories comprises the Belted wall light, the Buttoned Up wall light and the Buttoned Up mirror.

Colour, texture, heritage, identity

Goti’s creative escapades are defined by a propensity for playful and experimental language. From her vibrant and maximalist designs partaking in the Neo-Vanity series to the neo-futuristic metal silhouettes of OO+II series, her oeuvre invites interaction. Materials and fabrication methods explore the relationship between colour, texture, heritage and identity—a commitment expressed lucidly in her most recent work, Buttoned Up, as well.

A union of opposites

The product designer resorts to aluminium, the softest of the soft metals, as the medium of the collection. Much like the very essence of androgyny, each piece strives to embody harmoniously a union of supposed opposites—the soft with the hard, the yin with the yang. A ‘soft metal,’ its characteristics representing this juxtaposition, became an ideal material to actualise the designs. Sharp edges and geometries are equalised with rounded forms and a lingering softness, abiding by both languages and none at the same time. “Wall lights and mirrors—all inspired by accessories like belts, collars and cuff buttons—are accessories themselves, magnified in the home, reflecting and enhancing one’s own essential nature,” the New York-based designer states.

While stimulating the sense of touch, each piece is created to emulate the prudence of a tailor. The designs are made employing a special hand-bending process to achieve a balance of grace, utility and durability. Accessories of the past morph into mirrors and lighting fixtures adorning the home and becoming extensions of self expression. With the Buttoned Up collection, Goti expands her repertoire by speaking of a pop vernacular, all the while interweaving an enticing narrative into each piece; what follows is a remoulding of preconceived notions of aesthetics and human experiences through singular, expressive objects.