TESSA
LEVI’S STRAUSS
Chain Stitch
Repairs
COLLECTIONS
Chronic Apparel
Ugly Fashion
OPEN STYLE LAB
Summer Program‘24
FILM
Pressure
Stories From Here
(530) 574-8084
tessam.hickman@gmail.com
@tessakick
@tessafor3v3r
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-hickman-b072ab166/
My work primarily focuses on exploring the female experience with nods to queerness and living with chronic pain by using whimsical imagery, often focusing on internalized desires and daydreams, as I found myself relying on those at certain points in my life to manage the experience of chronic pain. My influences include current youth culture, maximalist fashion, female rock, and experimental hyper-pop artists, these together push me to implement bold, new, and rebellious components in my work.
In fashion design, my primary goal is to create clothing that is new, interesting, and, above all, accessible. I have learned firsthand the role clothing can play in day-to-day pain management for those with chronic pain and physical differences. I design clothing that aligns with my artistic style, as well as custom-fitting the garments for each individual's needs and desires.
I took an interest in this area after developing several severe injuries to my joints and later received a diagnosis of Hyper Mobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Due to the syndrome, healing of the joint injuries became deeply complicated and has left me to be one of many sufferers of chronic pain. While doctors have few answers for how to make pain more manageable, I've found that certain ways of dressing ease my pain, but the adaptive fashion industry is lacking in style and innovation.
I design for all bodies, the differently abled and those with chronic pain are prioritized at the center of my work.