Distorting the visual narratives of science fiction by infusing its cyborg aesthetic with wisps of cyberfeminism, Molly Turner is the 23-year-old fashion designer challenging norm-core ideas of sci-fi – specifically those that revolve around an outdated definition of sexy. A posture corrector, moulded silicone on motocross trousers, floral jacquard made from deadstock yarn – this is what cyberfeminist silhouettes are made of. Molly eliminates the male gaze from the genre. A recent graduate from University of Westminster BA Fashion Design, she is tethered to the reality that social media holds a grip over our sense of identity - “we’re all participants in ‘the game’,” she says. Coeval speaks with Molly delving deep into developing her graduate collection and redefining science fiction on an existential level.

Can you tell us about your childhood and how you were drawn to fashion and design in particular?

As a kid/pre-teen I was interested in interiors; my go-to childhood activities were designing buildings in The Sims or making houses out of shoe boxes for dolls - I became interested in fashion through my mum, who is a sewing legend and made her own wedding dress. Thanks to her I got 100% in my Textiles GCSE when I was 15 and at that point decided it was probably the subject I was best at, so my interests & degree choice snowballed from there.

You’re a recent graduate from The University of Westminster is that correct? So tell us about your final collection; the meaning and creative process behind it?

Correct. I started thinking about my graduate collection concept when I went to an Alfie Bown talk at the ICA in 2018 as part of Metahaven's Version History exhibition, which basically just explained how as a generation our phone-addiction makes us all cyborgs. Following this, preparing for my dissertation I looked into Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto and was really interested in the fact that there's so much cyberfeminist writing out there (Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin and the rest) but not really an accompanying aesthetic to match the values of all these writers' work. Like the word "cyberfeminist" brings to mind a Hajime Sorayama type of image, but to me this retrofuturist cyborg imagery felt kind of creepy/misogynist and out of step with what cyberfeminism could look like in 2020 - and so figuring this out became the basis for my collection.

You explain that the collection attempts to “subvert patriarchal science fiction archetypes.” Is this dismantling of systemic misogyny important to you?

Yes, I hope fashion can still be a means to change how people feel about themselves in terms of their body/gender/sexuality, and my graduate collection was partly a reaction against popular sci-fi visual narratives centred around the male gaze - like all of the cringy 3D rendered "sexy cyborg" imagery floating around iG & pop culture at the moment.

This whole bodycon cyborg idea has been well-explored in fashion from Mugler/Gaultier/Ghesquiere right through to designers like Marine Serre and Charlotte Knowles, but I think it's a bit weird how tied to sexuality/underwear this idea of being futuristic is - like we're still stuck in this really outdated definition of sexy; a "woman in a bikini in space" image from the 60s. I love all of these designers but I also question what the flipside of this tradition of imagery could be, and my graduate collection was really about exploring what science fiction aesthetics might look like if they were a bit more inclusive/put less of a priority on sexiness. At university, during fittings with tutors I would always get asked re: my work "but is it sexy? Is it fab?" - but what if I'm not interested in these criteria? Are menswear designers being asked these questions in the same way? To me, a specific material/fabrication can define sexiness and what if I'm just really into the construction detail on an posture corrector?

Additionally, the collection discusses your relationship with your phone. Can you elaborate on this?

Expanding on this more, I really recommend the book Playstation Dreamworld by Alfie Bown - it starts with psychoanalysis of a bunch of popular video games (Zelda, COD, GTA, Bioshock etc.) but also looks into how basic human needs like love and intersubjective relationships are being altered by tech companies and the apps we use every day. In it he talks about how the "gamer" should no longer be regarded as a term implying a certain alternative identity - apps like Instagram or Tinder are implicated in the same goal-oriented patterns pushed on users of Pokémon GO or Candy Crush, and so in this sense we're all participants in "the game" of trying to accrue points - building our personal brands in association with objects, people or organisations. This sounds like a basic black-mirror style observation to make, but it's unsettling not knowing if you actually want something or if the apps in your phone are just pushing you to have a certain set of values, and for me the posture corrector in my work became this overly dramatic metaphor for correcting/shaping yourself to fit your personal iG-friendly brand.

How do you usually find inspiration for your designs? Can you describe your creative process?

My research board for final year was a mix of images I had spent the past 5 years collecting; screenshots from landscapes/character outfits in the videogames Dark Souls and Detroit: Become Human, sculptures by Anna Uddenberg and Lee Bul, rococo plates from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Zaha Hadid architecture and Sam Rolfes graphics etc. I also sometimes work in response to sonic worlds with strong aesthetics yet to be fully replicated in design/fashion, like both Chino Amobi's PARADISO album and Holly Herndon's PROTO show at the Barbican really made me reconsider what I think to be futuristic vs. retrofuturism as a genre.

I always start with garment references as fabrication sources; like the zigzag stitched binding on posture correctors or the moulded silicone components on motocross trousers, and then work through sampling to flesh out silhouette details once I have a grasp of the construction method. My design process is different every time, but I usually begin by focusing on something tangible like a particular finishing/textile rather than trying to translate concepts into vague shapes.

What kind of materials do you use? And where do you source them from?

I was lucky enough to use my university's 3D workshop to develop the silicone pieces, and used deadstock yarns from my internship at Balmain for the knitwear. The scuba for the posture corrector garments was from Empee in Tottenham, and the remaining ZBrush-print fabrics I got printed using Contrado in a rush two weeks before our final collection deadline in January.

Who are your favourite people in fashion and how do they inform your work?

My BFFs Conor Tuke and Mathilde Rougier have probably had more impact on my work than anyone else, Conor has a really technical eye and a lot of construction knowledge which makes him a rare gem considering how the British fashion education system is generally set up to focus on dramatic ideas without much focus on sewing/pattern skills - he has really helped me to approach design technically and methodically by grounding my development process in garment references. Working with Mathilde on accessories for our graduate collections pushed me to think more about sustainability and build my practice around it, and she is always showing me new software and ways to digitise my work process like ZBrush, CLO and Spark AR. I also religiously listen to the podcast Not Really as I find it useful/comforting to hear experience from people in their mid/late 30s talking about building careers within the industry, so I guess maybe Paul Cupo is my favourite person "in fashion."

What is your favourite design you have made thus far?

I am most proud of the silicone pieces as I made my first sample of the technique for a second-year project in 2018 and they've taken the most time to develop out of everything from my graduate collection. There was a lot of trial/error and days spent in Westminster's 3D workshop trying to get the moulding process to work with the cleanest edges - in the end we had to spray all of the molds with car paint so the particles were ionised to fill in the gaps on the MDF and make the finish as smooth as possible, which is something I never would have thought to consider until our lovely uni technicians suggested it.

What keeps you up at night?

Trying to plan my future vs. the impossibility of planning the future and nightcore remixes of t.A.T.u.

So then, since you’ve completed your final collection, what’s next for Molly Turner?

Outside of a full-time job I am currently working on an online installation with the sound artist Miedo Total that will come out sometime in 2021. The project is built around the landscapes/imagery of the videogame Dark Souls and I am really looking forward to putting out some digital work outside of traditional "fashion" practice. I also won a ClickerMe grant which I'm saving towards manufacturing the silicone bag from my graduate collection on a made to order basis.