Cirque Squelettique incorporates themes including surrealism, freakery, circus arts and living nightmares. The garments reveal an underlying narrative, representing imagined characters from a fantastical and timeless world. The pieces can be viewed as relics from a surreal memory or the clothing that surrounds a circus performer’s dark subculture. Inspired by traditional quilting piecework, the handmade textiles juxtapose found and purchased materials, incorporating unusual materials, textures, construction methods and dyeing techniques. The line references trends and subculture performance wear from the Victorian era to modern day, drawing inspiration from costume, punk and avant-garde designers including Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and Leigh Bowery, as well as modern Victorian styling.