My name is Malia Quigley, and I am a designer and interdisciplinary artist. I am currently studying Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. My work centers around women's wear, specifically evening wear, as a medium for exploring power dynamics, presence, and modern femininity.

I grew up in Utah, surrounded by striking natural beauty and a culture shaped by religious tradition and moral expectation. As someone outside of the dominant faith community, it was easy to feel like an outsider. I quietly observed this system that placed the highest value on restraint, purity, and conformity. These early experiences continue to haunt and inform my creative process. The religious undertones in my work– symbols of virtue, sacrifice, modesty, and defiance- are born from that tension. Designing has become my way of reclaiming space, both personal and collective, for women and female-identifying individuals to unapologetically express complexity and contradiction.

Materiality is central to my practice. I work primarily with natural textiles such as silk, wool, leather, and linen, but I am equally drawn to unexpected materials like feathers, hair, wood, and bone. My aesthetic is an embrace of textures, silhouettes, and finishes that reflect the unrefined beauty of our natural world. These raw and unique textiles and materials reflect both the landscapes I grew up with and the internal landscapes I’ve learned to navigate.

I value slow fashion and couture construction techniques, often referencing early to mid-20th century garments and the traditional methods used to create them. Referencing this time in history when many people had very little autonomy over their lives is my way of combating erasure and reclaiming authorship. By reinterpreting these silhouettes and techniques through a contemporary, feminist lens, I aim to subvert the narratives of restriction embedded in fashion history and instead use clothing as a form of resistance, storytelling, and reclamation. Building a world where femininity is not defined by decorum or limitation, but by strength, presence, and radical self-expression. My work challenges the expectations of modesty and control, instead celebrating those who are loud, unyielding, and unafraid to be seen.

I am heavily influenced by feminist theory and visual art, particularly the writings of Simone de Beauvoir, who once said, “One is not born, but rather becomes, woman.” This idea that gender is performed, shaped, and imposed has been pivotal for my work. I also draw inspiration from artists like Francesca Woodman and Harmony Hammond, whose explorations of the female body, identity, and erasure continue to guide my own path as I navigate the fashion industry and the daily life of being a woman.