Meet the designer exploring genderless fashion

Dare to dress in a different manner, without losing your identity.

July 16, 2019

Born from a British mother and an Indonesian Father, Jacqueline Loekito has been redefining distinctive heteronormativity within traditional fashion by creating artistic genderless collections. With sharp tailoring juxtaposing against flattering lines and a complimentary colour palette, the designer is able to satisfy elements of both masculinity and femininity in each of her designs. Get to know Jacqueline as she talks about her inspiration, future plans and personal style…

Tell us a bit about your background and your design journey up until now.

Having mixed culture really shaped me as a designer. My Father was Indonesian and my mother is British. My interest started when I was 8 years old, growing up in Jakarta I was restricted in dressing so I decided I want to be free from that. I moved to London to be with my mother and to study fashion. I studied in Kingston also UCA and did my MA at FHNW HGK in Basel, Switzerland. I am based in Basel now where I run my brand and teach at the Fashion Institute here.

What is the inspiration behind your brand?

Genderless clothing has been my vision since the first day I started to study fashion back in 2006. I have been referencing the past, pushing men to wear dress and heels additionally using the similarities idea. Similarity idea is wearing the same clothing regardless what your gender is. I believe that in the future there will be no separation between menswear and womenswear clothing in stores.

Your latest collection, ‘Vivianne’s Last Kiss’, was inspired by the loss of your friend Vivianne Zitzer. How did it all come together?

It was a way to say goodbye to her properly. I was questioning where she was and what would she wear up there. She was full of life and loved pink, most of the time we talked a lot about gender studies. Surprisingly everything went so smooth like I felt she was giving me a nod from the clouds.

What themes do you explore with your designs? And what do they mean to you?

I always picked themes that are close to my heart – that matter the most for me. Currently I am working for ss20 that really looks into self love. What it means to me and what it means to people around me.

How would you describe your personal style? What influences you the most?

My style changes depending where I am, currently I am in Indonesia and all I am wearing is silk pajamas because it’s airy and I feel like Hugh Hefner in playboy mansion. I love creating personas in different places, it makes me creative and coming up with new ideas and imaginations.

Most of the time I am inspired by people that dressed different than others.

How are you hoping your designs will evolve in the future?

I think I never stop learning and making mistakes, by doing that I evolve to be a better designer. I think my hope for the future is that people feel that they can wear whatever they want without feeling that people are judging.