Luke Neil is the fashion student who wants you to ‘Go Fkn Mad’!
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
For London College of Fashion student, Luke Neil, punk is a feeling. And challenging the alienation experienced among so many LGBTQ+ creatives, his latest collection, Punk Puff, has been designed to make you “feel like a grunge god.”
Courtesy of @lukeeneill
NAME LUKE NEIL
AGE 20
LOCATION London, England
STAR SIGN Capricorn
THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE Hardcore, Grunge, Expressive.
May Garland: Hey Luke! What are you working on at the moment?
Luke Neil: Hey! I'm currently in the early stages of my next collection - gathering inspiration, ideas and enjoying taking from the world around me while spending some quality time over the summer with my family in Newcastle.
MG: Talk to me about your Punk Puff collection…what was the inspiration behind this project?
LN: Punk Puff is a rebellious collection that celebrates being queer and a punk bitch. The word puff comes from the puffer elements in the collection but also the fact that many nice people have decided to call me it throughout my life, so this is me reclaiming the word and rebelling against how queer people are made to feel alienated at times. For me, punk is more of a feeling rather than an aesthetic and I enjoy channeling the adrenaline-filled emotions into my work that I feel when listening to artists like GIRLI and SEGA BODEGA.
MG: Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?
LN: I can honestly say that each piece means something different to me but I truly love the yellow tartan puffer skirt with fur trim. The shape and the way it moves with the body in such a structural way is something I had never explored until now and as soon as I saw it on set for its first editorial I felt moved by my own work…which was a totally new feeling!
MG: Did you always know you wanted to go into fashion?
LN: Fashion and art have always been present in my mind…the earliest memory I have of loving to create shapes with fabric was when I was probably like eight and my mother bought me and my brother a children’s mini mannequin set called ‘Harumika - Style Your Imagination’. I was so fascinated by mixing prints and fabric styles together and draping looks that were actually about seven centimetres in size but still felt like the coolest and most exciting thing ever at the time. Since then I went onto hand-stitching pencil cases over and over again in different colours, trying to attach zips and understand how they worked and it kind of grew more and more into a hobby from there. I definitely realised that fashion was something I wanted to stick to when I joined a textiles class in high school. My teacher and I got on so well and it was always my favourite lesson to be in.
MG: You’re currently on the BA Menswear course at the London College of Fashion. I can imagine it was hard beginning your studies during a global pandemic. How has your experience been so far?
LN: My experience on this course has actually been great, even through the pandemic! I am someone who works well individually anyway, so being able to be in my own space with my own music blasting was super positive. Don’t get me wrong, I was wishing I could use the professional facilities the whole time but in terms of being productive at home, it wasn’t an issue.
MG: What’s something you like and something you wish to change in your course?
LN: I really appreciate the teaching balance of conceptual and commercial design. I am someone who has huge avant-garde ideas and my course enables me to produce designs that channel my intense thoughts mixed with clothing that can be just as wearable as crazy! In terms of what I would change about the course, I would love my uni to promote students a little further to get us some exposure as UAL students.
MG: I loved the meaning behind your previous collection, Go Fkn Mad. With Covid-19 restrictions lifting, I’m sure many people want to do this! Can you talk about the message you hoped to convey with this project?
LN: Experiencing the pandemic has opened my eyes to how precious life is and the importance of the little things…therefore I wanted to let everyone know not to hold back, and as soon as Boris says go…get ready to ‘go fkn mad’ which means wear what the hell you want, be whoever you want to be, stay safe and cause a scene!
MG: You’ve previously talked about your struggles with dressing the way you want and accepting your sexuality growing up. How has fashion helped you explore and express your identity?
LN: Growing up in a small town in the North East, I spent so long making wardrobe decisions based around other people's satisfaction and worrying about what other people thought. Every day I would receive comments from the people in my area and when my mind was younger, I let this affect me a lot more than I would do now. As soon as I moved to London to study, I realised I had the space in my brain where I was free from judgement and it allowed me to leave the house everyday exploring the outfits and accessories I had always wanted to.
MG: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
LN: To be myself, and that self expression is a bigger form of art than just a painting on a wall.
MG: What outfit makes you feel the most confident?
LN: I usually feel the most myself and the most powerful in some huge platform shoes, extremely wide trousers with some sort of vintage grunge top…ED HARDY clothing is one of my faves to wear!
MG: Is there a designer you’d like to collaborate with on a future collection?
LN: I love the work created by CHARLES JEFFREY and I would love to collaborate with him at some point. I also have a ‘90s fantasy of working with the New York Club Kids for a month…creating the most outrageous designs with some of the most creative people and attending all of the ‘90s raves wearing our collection.
MG: How would you describe the fashion scene in London?
LN: Forever changing - every time I look there’s something and someone new on the scene ready to fly.
