Josef Abela has just crowned a dream, that of graduating from a prestigious international fashion college. His achievement was surely not shorn of challenges and obstacles. And his last collection, which he presented as a dissertation project, is inspired by the different traumas he experienced as a queer child growing up in Malta.
Josef Abela“Fifteen years ago, the idea to be yourself at a young age was not appreciated because of the patriarchal system, a religion that considered queer people as a sin and a family that you don’t want to disappoint and hurt. This creates a lot of internalised homophobia, which is a trauma in itself,” Abela, now 25, says.
“In secondary school, I attended an all-boys school and that’s where the bullying started. I was verbally and physically bullied because I was in touch with my feminine side and didn’t like what the other boys liked, such as football. One of my hobbies at that age was dancing and I was encouraged by my ‘classmates’ that if I stopped dancing the bullying would stop but although I stopped going to dance class the bullying still continued.”
Abela’s interest in fashion started at a young age. His mother is a seamstress and he would help her by doing small chores such as choosing buttons for her and sewing them. But he never thought that he would one day study fashion as his family always perceived fashion design as a hobby.
Along the years, he found himself unmotivated in studying other subjects and, while working as a clerk at Mater Dei Hospital, he realised that life is too short not to follow one’s dreams.
“As I started working and attending part-time courses, my family saw my drive and the dedication that I had for this line of work and gave me their support,” Abela says.
Four years ago, he was accepted as a BA (Hons) Fashion Design student at the London College of Fashion of the University of the Arts London (AUL) and secured an arts scholarship financed by the government of Malta.
“It was a surreal feeling. The first time I went to London on holiday, everyone recommended to go shopping at Oxford Circus and the first thing I saw there was the main campus of the London College of Fashion. I had said to myself that, one day, I will be studying there,” he recalls.
The course turned out be very intense and “required a lot of undivided attention”, Abela says. It covered different areas of art and fashion, including sewing techniques, such as tailoring, boning and fabric manipulation, design programmes such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign and different pattern making and drafting techniques.
“It was also very challenging to work and study at the same time in a foreign country where I almost knew no one. Besides, as an artist, you also have your own self-doubts, questioning your work and if you belong in this career because of how intense it is and I think that is the biggest obstacle. However, with a lot of hard work, support from my friends, colleagues and family, I made it,” he says proudly.
Abela, who names Vivienne Westwood as one of his mostfavourite designers, was always inspired to create wearable art, something with a message and not necessarily the most simple or commercial designs. In fact, he describes his work as “imperfect” and “quirky” but “impactful”.
Among his most cherished designs so far, he mentions a jacket he did for the dissertation project themed Tfal tal-Porċellana (Porcelain Children).
“Tfal tal-Porċellana is a collection inspired by the different traumas that I experienced as a young queer child, highlighting that, although positive change happened in the queer community in Malta, homophobia still exists,” the designer says.
“The collection’s title represents the fragility of queer children; they’re compared to porcelain, which is a delicate, raw and special material. This inspiration came from a porcelain figurine of a ballerina that my mum had and that, as a child, I used to adore.”
Tfal tal-Porċellana features 10 garments with exaggerated silhouettes and colourful aesthetics. Feminine details with masculine elements were included to create the representations of the two genders combined into one.
Abela admits that, during the four-year course, he changed as a fashion designer and on an artistic and personal level.
“It helped me to understand myself better as an artist. All of my concepts were very personal to me, which has served me as therapy,” he points out.
He also learnt that fashion doesn’t need to have only one objective but it can be a means of artistic activism, a powerful tool to bring social change.
“Art is a very powerful medium that allows you to express yourself and pass on your message. Fashion is a very big and powerful industry and it is very impactful when a designer uses this approach towards their work. All the garments I create mean something, there is always an explanation behind the design of each outfit,” Abela states.
He is now working on his namesake brand and aims to create artistic garments with “an important message that our society needs to hear” while hoping to eventually showcase his work during the Malta Fashion Week.
Follow Josef Abela on Instagram: @josef.abela