Mx GRRRL

Mx GRRRL is a gender neutral collection celebrating and empowering women, Trans and Non-Binary people within the feminist community. With a focus on collaboration and the DIY aesthetic, Eli Heijink addresses a range of social issues personal to him. As a Transgender man, Heijink has used this collection to communicate his relationship with feminism; initial inspiration behind the focus on the Riot Grrrl and Punk movements, stemmed from Heijink’s previous experience discovering his identity, reflecting on these movements as an emotional outlet. With the Riot Grrrl movement becoming a female form of the Punk subculture, a new outlet of self-expression came to light, whilst playing a vital role in creating a safe space for minorities to explore their identity. The materials used to create Mx GRRRL feature a vast range of deadstock fabrics including wool, denim, woven cottons, cashmere selvedge trims, and scrap leather. Heijink‘s use of deadstock materials reference the DIY ethos, pioneering sustainability within the current climate crisis. Design features include exposed frayed seams, large metal eyelets combined with oversized safety pins, abstract draped shapes and cyanotype prints. With blue being a primary colour within the collection, seen within the bleached denim and blue tartan; cyanotype printing has been used to create the raw, homemade look with the deeper shades of Prussian blue. Prints produced by Heijink include the layering of a childhood photo, with a large scale collage created using paints, charcoal and magazine cut outs. Mx GRRRL was a night of LGBTQ+ creatives coming together to feature not only the release of the collection, but to also promote Non-Binary Punk bands from Leeds. Providing enough space to have fun, feel safe and express yourself to the highest level.