This avant-garde look is made from scrap fabrics from past projects, hand-dyed with a mix of tea and chemical dyes with a hand-crocheted copper wire over-skirt. The piece draws on the symbolism of lions as historical emblems of power and status, from ancient Egypt to modern heraldry, while highlighting their declining numbers due to human-driven systems. Urban expansion, climate change, and poaching have disrupted their ecosystems, revealing a tension between cultural symbolism and ecological loss. The colour palette was inspired by my time in South Africa, where the earthy tones of dirt, clay, and sun-bleached landscapes shaped the muted, grounded hues of the garment, reflecting both the beauty of the terrain and the fragility of what remains.
