Lucie Mowat
Collection
Collection Statement
Lucie Mowat’s bedroom walls are filled with photographs of strangers—snapshots rescued from estate sales and secondhand stores. Faded wedding portraits, postcards inked with love notes, and anonymous studio photographs quietly radiate unspoken histories. Though they hold no monetary value, their emotional worth feels immeasurable. Lucie’s thesis collection, Little Lives, gives a voice to these overlooked stories. Her work is deeply inspired by Nan Goldin, the New York-based photographer known for her raw, diaristic images capturing love, grief, intimacy, and pain.
Goldin’s ability to reframe imperfection with an air of tenderness lent inspiration to this collection. Intimate garment details- an exposed shoulder, a garter motif, a resin top clinging to the chest like wet fabric- are the physical manifestation of this vulnerability. In contrast, swollen “puffs” obscure parts of the body, symbolizing the half-truths that photographs often contain. Shells and utensils sourced from Seattle second-hand shops are reimagined as jewelry and fastenings. This collection asks us to find beauty in the discarded and honor small moments that refuse to be forgotten.
Bio
Recent Parsons BFA graduate, Lucie Mowat, is a designer whose work begins with a story. Each collection centers around a singular muse- past inspirations include her late aunt the glassblower, the North Pond Hermit, and the portrayal of yearning in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Influenced by her Seattle upbringing, she draws from nature’s rhythms, found objects, photography, and film. She is particularly drawn to silhouettes that alter the body through restriction, expansion, or transformation. Through her designs, she explores memory, intimacy, and overlooked moments, inviting the viewer to slow down and consider the story within each garment.