Matthew Miller has a design philosophy that positions fashion as a product, just like ceramics or furniture, balancing simple manufacturing values with an artist’s approach to his craft.
The visual language of art and gallery spaces is referenced throughout Miller’s work with labels reading Untitled, Mixed Media, Dimensions Variable that feature both Ms underscored, choosing to subtly call out his initials on a garment rather than plaster his name all over it.
As a comment on how freedom of speech could be the last authentic art form, Untitled, Mixed Media, Dimensions Variable also transforms each item and its owner into a walking piece of Socialist Youth art that becomes more relevant with every mark it picks up, adding user-generated value as it ages.
Miller sees the wearer as integral to a garment’s worth, raising its importance as soon as it’s worn because of the cultural capital accrued depending on what he or she does in it – or to it – and so developing the inherent character of each piece.
“I never saw beauty as being something that was a physical object. I fundamentally see beauty as being a moment in time, a fleeting feeling, a scar, a memory, an experience, a sense of freedom.” – Matthew Miller
