Tendai Motiwa

As I see myself as a contemporary artist, I am constantly drawn back to my own environment – where I live, the music that is made in my environment, my beliefs and experiences enhance the originality in my work. My practice is split into two big subjects. I specialise in fur and being sustainable, which has been one of the biggest movements in the fashion industry. The fashion industry today is trying to replace real fur with fake, which means going back to being unsustainable. I personally think this is very misleading. Therefore, I want to challenge the fashion industry. Fur is a natural material, it lasts longer than fabric and you don’t need to pollute the environment to get ahold of the material.

The second subject that is a part of me is that I grew up between London and Essex. Both places are very similar, and I found myself belonging to the grime and drill subcultures. Royal College of Art is a place where I have been brave enough to embrace my identity. The culture itself is always seen in a negative way and that made me want to hide that part of me. I want to use fashion to awaken convocations about how most youths today feel about life – from politics, economics and culture. These topics are very important, because they affect people’s lives.

I believe my work could be used in the expanses of politics, economic issues and the cultural structures of today.