BELLADONIS
Belladonis is a luxury fashion brand founded by partners Charlie Orr-Ewing and William Kerr, with the intention of creating one-of-a-kind garments, inspired by and for the queer community in an industry where queer bodies and identities are not always catered for.
Charlie and Will are Graduates in BA Hons Fashion Design and Technology from Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University.
Both extremely passionate about celebrating queerness and creating a community, Charlie knew from the age of five that he wanted to be a designer, whereas Will explored various avenues to express his creativity and queer identity. Soon after meeting and starting their personal partnership in 2018, they soon realised they shared values and aspirations for queer expression and creating art to channel and celebrate it. Over the course of their relationship they have developed together and worked closely on personal projects before starting Belladonis in 2022, as a culmination of queer joy and a tool to share it.
“Belladonis at its core was created to celebrate the queer community and queer expression, as well as creating one-off pieces for celebrities and drag queens to make them feel divine and beautiful, creating couture collections retelling the stories of ancient Greece through narrative imagery and transformative pieces. We chose to focus on Greek myths as we felt that the abundance of stories often echoed the love, hardships and transformations of the modern day queer experience.
“We have been fortunate enough on our journey to have access to innovative 3D printing machines that have allowed us as a small team of two to create fully embellished garments that would normally require far more time and man power than we have available. Not only has it given us access it has also allowed us to push the embellishment process creating 3D topography and telling complex narratives within our designs, and we hope to continue to push the technology to create new and exciting techniques for use in the fashion industry.”
When they are not creating collections, Belladonis tailor a variety of personal one off commissions for many occasions, mostly in the realm of drag, having had their work featured on T.V. show RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Belladonis has also recently been commissioned to design and make wedding outfits, and their stunning interpretations on classics including tailored pieces and red-carpet gowns are spectacular.
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