Scottie Eskelund is Taking Power Back with Gender Expansive Clothing

Scottie by Design is a trans-owned clothing brand founded by Scottie Eskelund (they/them) and dedicated to re-imaging unconventional textiles. Along with being a therapist, Scottie has found a way to express their transness in the fashion and modeling industry. 

OFM got the chance to connect with Scottie to learn more about their creative process and how they first got into fashion.

OFM: Can you tell us more about the concept and inspiration behind Scottie by Design?

I was at a thrift store one day and saw a crochet blanket and thought I could make something interesting out of it. That’s how the creative process starts for me, taking stuff that already exists that has alternative textiles and transforming them. The textile itself tells me what it can and can’t be made into so it feels collaborative. It reminds me of my trans experience of feeling like trash and being depressed about how I looked in the past. 

Transness has been this experience of reinventing myself into whoever I wanted to be. What I get to do with these clothes is take something that was discarded and then transform it into something beautiful, exciting, and different. That’s kind of the name Scottie by Design. It’s this idea that I’m Scottie, and I am made from my design. I changed my name a year ago to Scottie, and I very much feel like I have designed myself. I’m my creator, and I feel like that’s the same with my clothes. It’s very me, and it’s by my design, not anyone else’s.

When did you first discover your love for fashion and what was your inspiration?

I was modeling for a bit, and I was feeling frustrated by how cisgender the fashion world is, even though fashion trends tend to be quite androgynous and gender expansive. The representation within the fashion community is just so cis. I was constantly getting misgendered. This past year, I went to New York Fashion Week, and it was so disempowering and discouraging to be in what seems a very accepting city and have people either want to employ me as a drag queen, which I’m not, or they weren’t interested and decided to put gender expansive clothing on cisgender people. I was feeling frustrated and began to think about how I could take power back into my own hands. The whole reason I entered the modeling world was that it felt good, euphoric, fun, and was a method of creative expression.

 How did fashion and modeling come into play for you?

I have always loved fashion. I remember when I was a kid, I would stand on the coffee table, and I would pin my mom’s blankets to my body and make dresses. I’ve always sketched clothes as a kid so it was always there. In 2021, I was working as an HIV educator, and one of my coworkers randomly came into my office and said, “There’s a casting call on Saturday for modeling, and you should go.” I was newly exploring my transness at the time, and I was like, OK, fuck yeah, why not. 

I went and enjoyed just being myself. A few weeks later, they called me and asked me to walk in their show the next day and I was excited to be given the opportunity. It was really interesting to walk into that space from a very different perspective because I felt so lucky to be there and I was very excited to show my love of fashion to the world. From there I started to get into designing more clothes.

Do you find that there are more challenges as a trans, queer-owned designer/model than you thought? 

Yes. Especially as they/them but also just within the trans world. No one genders me correctly. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell people; they are still not gendering me correctly. People who are not trans tend to assume that trans people want to be drag performers. When I go to model, the hair and makeup team want to make me look like a drag queen, but I just want to look like myself. A lot of high-end designers don’t want to work with me because a trans model will say something political about their brand. I find more joy in being a designer and trans because I’m in my seat of power.

Do you have any advice for another trans/ nonbinary person who is looking to get into the industry?

Surround yourself with people who see you and validate who you are. Especially if you want to be a model. The reality is, in those, spaces you’ll have to put up with some shit. Having people who are in your corner who can validate you is super important. Knowing I had people that saw me, that I could text, makes those moments easier to work through. For anyone wanting to do art, just be yourself; do what brings you joy, and don’t compromise shit. Even if a certain thing you’ve created doesn’t get the attention it deserves, know that it’s still a beautiful thing and keep going. 

As we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or activities you’d like to mention?

I’m doing a show in Massachusetts on September 8. On September 17, I’m doing another show in Milwaukee. On October 14, I’m releasing a new collection based on the intersection of mental health and pollution called “Shadow Ball” with six sculptural installations as well as 10 new pieces.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Scottie on Instagram @scottie.bydesign and shop at scottiebydesign.com

Photos courtesy of Michael Collier