What do shingles, Gonorrhoea, drag race and fashion all have in common? Adam Frost, of course
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…
Courtesy of @adamfrost
NAME ADAM FROST
AGE 27
LOCATION London, England
OCCUPATION Visual and performance artist, fashion designer, DJ
STAR SIGN Pisces
BIGGEST PET PEEVE Rude people.
Adam Frost is a queer working-class artist and quite frankly, a one-man party apparatus. Back when we were still allowed to be out and about, you could spot him DJing at WIMP, a queer club night launched by his friend Xoey 5.0, or staging a performance titled SINK PLUNGER, GONNORHEA – a piece inspired by, well, plunging our lives away with basic jobs and getting crabs and gonorrhoea from a guy he was seeing at the time.
Frost’s other favourite form of expression is fashion. He’s a student on the MA Fashion course at London’s ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART, his pieces having been worn by rapper BROOKE CANDY and London’s night-time icon, PRINCESS JULIA. Most recently, Frost’s designs have been in the spotlight thanks to this season’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestant TAYCE, who chose his black-and-white coat to mark her grand entrance in the premiere episode. The artist says that the custom look caused a mental response from the fans of the show and gave him the motivation (priceless in the times of lockdown 3.0!) to work on his new conceptual collection. Expect a glitzy and Covid-friendly reveal later this Spring!
Courtesy of @adamfrost
Martin Onufrowicz: What’s an emotion that you want to evoke with your designs?
Adam Frost: My clothes are really glittery and over-the-top because I feel that dressing up really helps me whenever I’m feeling down. So I want people wearing my collection to get that warm and fuzzy feeling that you might have when you’re high on a pill – obviously, drugs are really bad, but you know what I mean!
MO: How does your working-class background influence your work?
AF: I really make sure to design stuff that’s good quality and affordable because I know what it’s like to not be able to afford fancy things. A lot of my designs are about overdressing and looking like you have money, even if that’s not the case.
MO: What’s the theme of the collection?
AF: I have shingles again, so I’m naming it Aciclovir, which is the medication that I’m taking. The inspiration is that Elizabeth I, Grace Jones, Björk and Róisín Murphy are all going to a party. Then Grace Jones is throwing up and it’s all orange and lime and pink, and Björk is throwing up glitter. And then I pop in and say “Ello!”
MO: Piece of clothing that you’ve been wearing the most in lockdown?
AF: A printed t-shirt from my collection. I’m actually really bad and wear a lot of my stock. And then someone’s asking to buy one, and I’m like, “Shit, I’ve worn four of black and white ones in every size already.”
MO: Best party trick?
AF: Doing everyone’s make-up. Also if someone’s being boring, I’ll tell them! I’m like, “Can you just do a shot and cheer up or go home?”, but not in a rude way – I just want everyone to be happy and have a good time.
MO: Best night out story?
AF: I cried in front of Princess Julia once. Years ago, I went to The Glory and was lingering around, she was there and said, “Come along with me then!” So she took me to a club in South East London and Lady Bunny was there spinning around with her big hair. And then I kept following Julia around because I didn’t know anyone, and then started crying for no valid reason because I was a 22-year-old alcoholic.
MO: Favourite album at the moment?
AF: Róisín Machine by Róisín Murphy, it’s brilliant! I especially love the song Game Changer.
MO: What always cheers you up?
AF: I love watching old Joan Rivers interviews whenever I’m sad. My favourite quote of hers is: “The vagina drops. One morning, I woke up and thought, Why am I wearing a bunny slipper? And why is it grey?”
MO: Worst trend that you have participated in?
AF: Flared blue jeans. I remember wearing them with brown Timberland-like boots and thinking I looked like Victoria Beckham. Now I can’t wear blue denim period because I’m too triggered by that look.
MO: Best advice you’ve ever been given?
AF: It’s not really a piece of advice, but it’s something that Róisín Murphy has said to me a few years ago. I was on set with her (Frost appeared in a couple of Murphy’s music videos) and it was a day after I showed my collection at The Glory. She asked me how the show went and I didn’t really believe in myself and just said, “It was alright.” She replied, “You’re just as good as the rest of the artists and designers!” And hearing that from someone that I hugely respect really stuck with me and gave me courage.
Courtesy of @adamfrost