Charlotte Farrant

‘I am not made like any other I have seen, I dare believe myself to be different from any other who exists.’ Anne Lister August 1823

Charlotte explores the question: ‘Can you encapsulate a person’s individuality, compelling and remarkable life, into a garment?’ Examining “semiotics of colour” and how, combined with fashion choices, it influences the social acceptance of an adventurous woman, with a vivid life full of diverse activities, exploring ambiguity between heritage and future innovation.

Growing up with a love of mechanics and art, Charlotte looks to the ‘unconventional’ for inspiration. Researching under-represented women led her to Anne Lister and her passion for disregarding expected societal norms of upper class Victorian women. Anne’s innovative and explorative heritage deserves to be told.

Nicknamed ‘Gentleman Jack’, Anne wore men’s clothes, was infamous throughout Halifax, Yorkshire, travelled the world, was a social enigma, collected taxes whilst running Shibbden Hall and sank numerous coal mines on her land.

Discovered in 1887, Anne’s treasured diaries (written in code) were deciphered; however, thought to be too explicit, Shibbden Hall’s walls became the diaries’ guardian and were not re-discovered until 1967, telling stories of her love affairs with other women and her
intrinsic career character traits.