Olivia Watkins

Department: Man and Communication
Website: oliviawat.com

Out of the Bruise

“Bruises are a beautiful visual expression of being alive,” says Olivia Watkins. “And not only as children should we take pride in them.” Her collection of three garments brings blemishes to the surface as a celebration of activity, innocent fun, and daily human behaviour. The bodysuit acts as a second skin, capturing colourful moments of impact that would be short-lived and forgotten on living skin. The overall’s knee holes invite the inevitable occurrence of a banged knee, while elbow patches on the jacket play with the irony of covering ourselves up when really there is no buffer to daily bruising – and that’s something positive.