Larger than Life with Pissy Pussy
office caught up with the designer to discuss his creations, inspirations, journey, and more.
See below for an exclusive interview as well as his epic creations.
First and foremost, how did Pissy Pussy come to be? In other words, what sparked the idea to go under this alias?
In 2016 when I moved to NYC and attended my first Susanne Bartsch party, I quickly realized I wanted to be a “club kid” (my nightlife stint was short lived but very crucial to my development as an artist.) A memorable name was an important part of my future as a club kid, and it took me a bit to find something that stuck. It’s my sister's childhood nickname Pissy (real name Missy) and then Pussy because it rhymed and was vulgar enough to be memorable. Although due to IG censorship I’ve had to shorten it to PP 一 but the brand will always be Pissy Pussy.
Your designs have a mixture of playfulness and innovation to them 一 it’s a peculiar type of chic glittered over with a forward-thinking mindset. What makes this such an irresistible combination for you and the consumer?
I always say that my designs are simple and stripped down. People are usually always confused by that because my looks are HUGE, but when you look at it as a whole piece I only use one or two fabrics per look. Usually a bodysuit as the base and a large angular shape is constructed around me, with always my recognizable fetish mask with the eyelets. It is very simple but just very larger than life. I think people like that my work is easily digestible to the eyes and pieces of my work are shoppable on my website and wearable for all of my followers.
How do you conceptualize your vision for your designs and where or who do you draw inspiration from?
When it comes to conceptualization usually I get flashes of a look in my head. Sometimes I’ll have many good ideas a year. I usually create between 3-6 looks a year. Or sometimes I won’t have an idea for over a year, like the past year. But that was a tough time for everyone creatively. A lot of my inspiration comes from film. I've spent most of my life watching a wide variety of films which always help keep my creative wheels flowing, and if I’m struggling I’ll go to fabric stores and sometimes a certain fabric will really inspire an entire look but this doesn’t always work.
Walk me through the creation of your first design.
My first design ever was before I learned how to sew (I learned how to sew in 2017) and was made out of hundreds of starburst wrappers that I taped together to create a sort of textile out of it and made a skirt, nipple pasties and a mask. It was sooooo ugly, and no photos exist of it (thank god) But it definitely pushed me to learn how to sew after that disaster.
How do you look back at the early stages of your career as a designer? What was going through your head before your brand took off? Did you think you’d still be designing?
I’ve always been very driven (and have had an obsession with being famous my whole life…. Not there yet.) I’m my early stages I felt very pressured to learn as quickly as possible and produce as much (quality) work as possible. Dropping out of high school early on and no college experience, I felt really late to the game learning all this in my mid 20’s… but I think that just pushed me more. I worked really hard to get PP started, so I think I knew I was in this for life and I’m really glad for the progress I’ve made in 4 years.
You’ve designed many pieces in your time as a designer. What has got to be one of your most treasured designs and why?
My absolute favorite design would be the nude colored vinyl and tulle look (which everyone refers to as the donut.) That piece took over 80 hours and 800 yards of tulle to create. I still look back at that and am very proud of that work.
Your modern interpretations of the line between masculinity and femininity bleed through your designs and its versatility is constantly blurring the preconceived ideas that most have about fashion. Everything is unisex. How do you continue to shatter these perceptions?
I just really don’t over think things. My work to me is non-human. So as a non human, gender wouldn’t even be a thing. So I think my work translates more as alien than masculine and feminine, because in my artistic world that doesn’t even exist to me.
It’s so nice that we’re finally transitioning back into a busy schedule now after a long time of being stuck at home. Do you think that being home has limited your creativity, or did you discover new aspects of your creativity?
Well I’ve always worked out of my bedroom and still do… so nothing really changed with that. I did fall off the bandwagon during the pandemic though. But I really just didn’t feel like making new work. It wasn’t until the past two months that I’ve been feverishly working again. I feel my brain has healed, I’ve learned, and I’m starting a new era of PP.
I love the concepts of each design. How do you come up with these ideas and how long does one of your masks usually take to make?
I definitely have a set aesthetic but each look will just come to me. I never sketch or even take notes. I just shop for materials and start creating. A full look can take me between 20-100 hours depending on what I’m working on. I’m sure as my brand grows it can take much longer than 100 hours to work on some ideas that I only dream of now.
Where do you hope to take your designs in the near future? What can you tell us about any future collection you have coming out?
As of right now PP has grown into a branded apparel line that I feel very passionately about. I’ve always been inspired by streetwear and skate brands and have loved creating branded apparel. I hand screen printing every piece I send out along with stitching my own labels in. So I want to continue growing that to help support my wearable art pieces, which can be very costly. I just really want to continue growing as a brand and making huge looks to share with the world.
