Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Sanborn.
Hi Jay, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a queer, transmasculine fiber artist and garment maker working in Baltimore City.
I use deadstock fabrics, second-hand garments, and unwanted upholstery fabric to create my one-of-a-kind designs that are meant to be worn, mended, and loved for years. I’m interested in creating fashion that resists our culture of overconsumption and breaks the cycle of fast fashion, which exploits workers and harms our environment. Today, I take on commissions for costume design, mending, and custom garments for special occasions, with a focus on making size-inclusive clothing for queer and trans people.
I’ve always had an interest in fashion, and my mom passed down her sewing skills to me at a fairly young age. I moved to Baltimore from Connecticut to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014, and immediately fell in love with the city and the people who live here! I studied painting, but quickly began making soft sculptures and two-dimensional fiber work.
In my early twenties, I came out as transgender and made my gender-affirming garments. These projects, and my interest in the body as a site of political struggle led me to create two series of wearable works: Safety Garments (2020-2021), and T4T (2022), which debuted at Fantasy Machine in 2022. These works investigate ideas of safety, domesticity, gendered labor, and queerness.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s no such thing as a smooth road in a creative field or as a small business! I learn something new in my work every day, and that’s one of the things I love about being an artist.
It’s extremely difficult to make a career in the arts without family or independent wealth, so juggling my day job(s) with making my work, marketing my products, and keeping up with social media, all while trying to learn new skills and maintain some level of work-life balance continues to be a huge challenge.
I’ve started to schedule time off for myself throughout the week and try my best to remember that this kind of work is a marathon, not a sprint.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make visual art and garments using traditional fiber crafts like embroidery, beading, quilting, crocheting, and knitting. I specialize in reclaiming fabric from second-hand garments and turning them into something new! I made wearable sculptures, costumes, garments, and two-dimensional work with these reclaimed fibers and fabrics.
I am most proud of my beading work, which has taken me several years to teach myself (with the help of several very lovely women on YouTube who give tutorials). It is now the foundation of my practice and reminds me of the urge that humans have always had to add beauty and joy to every part of our life. My love for embellishment and personalization is inspired by the queer and trans community, especially the pioneering Black drag queens, kings, and trans people of the early New York ballroom scene, and the DIY aesthetics of the punk and hardcore scenes.
Above all else, I strive to make work that I want to see on my walls, or wear on my body! There is nothing I love more than hearing from my queer and trans friends that something I’ve made for them makes them feel powerful, beautiful, and affirmed in who they are.
What were you like growing up?
I was kind of a strange and dreamy kid growing up! I loved to read, wrote at least one science fiction novel, and spent a lot of time outside exploring the woods in my rural hometown. I developed a love for visual art and fashion very early on. When I wasn’t outside, I was cutting up magazines in my room to make collages to decorate my walls.
I was also very sporty and masculine presenting, even as a child. I only wore boys’ clothes and basketball sneakers, and my ultimate dream was to play on the UConn women’s basketball team. I practiced my jump shot obsessively, and refused to take dance classes or buy almost anything pink.
At the same time, I was very into fashion, makeup, and hair. I was a very queer child in every sense of the word, but I give a lot of credit to my mom and my older brothers for always accepting me and encouraging me to be myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: haleyjsanborn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftbaseddyke/
- Other: https://frustratedfiber.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=profile_page
Image Credits
Oliver Maddox and Jay Sanborn
