Youssef Zogheib

Born in 2002
Graduate from Parsons Paris
Lives and works in Paris, France
IG @youssefzogheib

Gravesend
Gravesend is the name of a small town in south-east England where photographer John Topham captured an unusual episode from the Second World War. His images capture a moment of respite on Christmas Eve 1940. While entertaining themselves away from the horrors of war, Royal Air Force soldiers dressed up in drag and performed in a pantomime show, they were caught off guard by German bombing raids. Forced to rush to arm the defence guns, they threw on their military coats, hastily draped over their babydoll dresses.
Telling the story of the Gravesend soldiers in 1940 is a way of commenting on my frustration and desire to escape militarisation and war. My collection focuses on transgressing the notions of gender and power inherent in military uniforms. I was trained in haute couture and bespoke tailoring, and it is through these techniques that I approach this theme.
Questioning and subverting the image of the archetypal soldier is my way of criticising the rise of far-right ideals and authoritarianism in todays world.

Collection produced with the support of
le19M
Goossens
L’Atelier des Matières
Supima
Première Vision : British Millerain
Atelier Aymeric Le Deun