Island life helped inspire young Key Biscayne design student whose works were featured in a showcase at his acclaimed college

Two of Alberto Perkinson's looks on the SCAD fashion show runway.

Alberto Perkinson, a Key Biscayne-based college student, was recently featured in a fashion show presented by the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Perkinson’s work was critiqued by a jury of renowned fashion figures, including designers like LaQuan Smith and Waris Ahluwalia, as well as representatives from Vogue Runway, GQ, and Puma at the SCAD FASHION 2023 runway show.

The young designer and artist grew up in Venezuela and moved to the United States in his youth, telling Islander News he has found inspiration from the many places he has lived.

Alberto Perkinson.

“Key Biscayne continues to hold a special place in my heart,” Perkinson said. “In some of my previous projects I created at SCAD, I drew inspiration from the vibrant colors that grace the beach and created collections that encapsulated the emotions and experiences associated with beach life.”

According to Perkinson, one of his previous collections, “SoleMio,” was inspired by “the vibrant colors of beach umbrellas and the enchanting marine life inhabiting the surrounding waters.”

His goal with the project was to reflect Key Biscayne and Miami life, creating pieces that could ensure a smooth transition from sunny days at the beach to evenings immersed in the vibrant nightlife.

Pieces from SoleMio, one of Perkinson's past collections.

Though some of Perkinson’s art has reflected his identity, the project he recently exhibited covers more personal topics.

“For my senior SCAD collection, I actually delved into a deeper, more introspective realm, capturing the sentiments of lost love, regret, pain, and anger over unexpressed emotions,” he said. “The collection embodies a somber mood, exploring the complexities of human emotions and experiences.”

Perkinson’s collection is the product of an extensive storyline about a woman who spends decades writing letters to her long-lost love. When she learns he has actually passed away in that time period, she cuts and sews together his clothes and her letters to “feel his embrace,” ultimately wearing her letters to his grave and reading them to him alas – before joining him forever.

The young designer took an increasingly creative approach with each look, employing techniques like “fabric manipulations like patchworked button packets into a ‘straitjacket’ top, screen-printing love letters on hyma canvas for skirts… and rust-dyeing silk taffeta to look weathered and rotten.”

Renders of the five looks that make up Perkinson's latest collection.

All the pieces in the collection are tied to the topic but vary in approach. The first piece is a monochromatic look with noticeable hems, using a regular blazer with the upper arms carved out as the top and pieces of white fabric for the waist and right pant leg area. The left leg is covered by a pair of pants, bringing the look together as the protagonist’s personal twist on a common outfit for men.

“I focused on what a man would leave behind and thrifted all those garments like suits, jackets, ties, trousers, jewelry, hats, etc., and reworked them to appear more feminine and sexy,” the designer said.

Perkinson’s second look makes use of the modern tie, stitching together various designs to create a sleeveless fitted dress. With the multicolored tie ends meeting black and white pieces of ripped letters at the very top of the dress, it turns our protagonist into a beautiful piece of tragic art herself – covered in her lover’s “remains.”

A close-up of the collection's second look.

Topping off the look is a sizable black blazer with a large oval-shaped cut on the back, making it almost completely backless. The blazer follows the collection’s “DIY” theme, reincorporating noticeable hems and including white writing scribbled at the bottom.

For the third look, Perkinson moves away from flashy to create a two-piece set with more neutral colors save for the large black cursive writing all over the fabric. Ultimately, the piece makes the woman partly look like a walking letter, wearing her love and pain externally. The look also features a maximalist jewelry piece on the neck area, made up of chains and what could be interpreted as pocket watches, signaling the woman’s conflict with time throughout her journey..

Reminiscing on his process, Perkinson said “thrifted jackets were torn up and re-stitched back together with mending stitches; ties were sewn together to create a strapless gown; and men's trousers turned into asymmetrical skirts.”

The collection’s fourth look also plays with the asymmetrical, featuring an irregularly-shaped dress made up of half of a blazer on the right and leaving the protagonist with a sleeveless top made of letters and ruined material on the left. Moving down, the “half-done” look is extended as the left leg is covered in a black and neutral-colored mesh material with writing on it, while the right is left uncovered.

Alexa Wexler modeling Perkinson's fifth look from "Letters to the Grave."

Perkinson encapsulates the essence of his collection in his fifth and final look, which features an all-white, two-piece set. His tank top is made of ripped pieces of ties and dress shirts sewn together, and the skirt flows down into a train of ripped letters. This was the only look Perkinson’s collaborator, Mandee Bertone, photographed in a graveyard, possibly signaling our protagonist’s pure, all-white arrival to her reunification and death—a “bride” ready to see her groom for an unexpected last time. First beginning with a look that may be interpreted to represent the protagonist “dressing up” as her lover, the collection ends with her dressed as her most vulnerable self–in the form of her letters.

“This process took many turns and changes. Ultimately, I decided in the last five weeks that it wasn't making sense with the collection and the things the character would've done for me to create garments from scratch, buy fabrics, etc.” Perkinson said. “I really wanted people to be able to ‘feel’ the collection and understand the love, regret, anger, and passion physically through the clothing.”

Fabric swatches from "Letters to the Grave."

Perkinson has delivered – his pieces making pit stops at different periods of his protagonist’s “love and loss” journey. “The collection embodies a somber mood, exploring the complexities of human emotions and experiences,” he said.

The young designer credits SCAD for teaching him to embrace the storytelling aspect of fashion design.

“The fashion program nurtured my passion for storytelling and creating immersive worlds for my characters,” Perkinson said. “I discovered the power of personal connection in resonating with an audience, and I found catharsis in expressing emotions through fully realized garments that embody concepts.”

His senior collection is a testament to his journey within the fashion industry, presenting raw, personal reflections of his creativity.

With the project serving as a culmination of his time at SCAD, Perkinson says the institution and the professors (who later became his mentors) taught him invaluable lessons.

Alexa Wexler modeling the collection's fourth look.

“[SCAD] taught me the value of embracing my individuality and unique journey …and instilled in me the significance of infusing my personal touch into every aspect of my work,” he said.

Perkinson often gleans inspiration from his life being raised on the Key. “Growing up in Key Biscayne was a dream come true for me, especially considering my younger childhood in Venezuela, where safety was not always assured.”

“The freedom to roam and explore without constraint allowed me to unleash my true self and nurture my creative spirit,” he said. “It was a transformative experience that continues to shape my artistic journey today.”

To see more of Perkinson’s work, visit his website at perkinsonalberto.com.