ACCEPTANCE LETTER

The Jester’s Prayer is a fashion design project that explores the complex relationship between clothing, social class, and power, with a particular focus on the “fool” or “comedian” as both a cultural necessity and a survival mechanism.The collection draws on two intertwined sources: the historical court jester and Federico Fellini’s I Clowns (1970). Historically, the jester’s distinct dress served as a protective uniform, the singular costume licensing its wearer to mock power directly. Fellini’s film, a blend of documentary and fantasy, recasts the clown as a melancholic mirror of society: absurd, tender, and quietly subversive. Where the jester anchors the collection’s visual language, Fellini’s portrait of a vanishing breed shapes its emotional register. Inspired by these dual influences, the collection translates this spirit into wearable, grounded pieces. The drama relies on styling and layering rather than theatrical spectacle, emerging through accumulation, unexpected juxtaposition, and deliberate excess. Here, the styled look becomes a language of its own: a reminder that humor can be a weapon, and foolishness a survival strategy for speaking truth from the margins.