A conversation with deaf fashion designer Luke Christian following his recent award from Attitude Magazine (BSL)

Rebecca:
Hi Luke, I remember when I first interviewed you for the Limping Chicken back in 2019 when you were starting out! Now I have two of your T-shirts, a Christmas sweatshirt and a hoody too! How have things changed for you?

Luke:
Thank you for your support! Since we spoke last, a lot has changed. I collaborated with KIDZBOP for Sign Language Week in March earlier this year where I created special T-shirts for the children to wear in their music videos which were translated into British Sign Language by a young deaf girl.

I also then collaborated with MODA again for the second year running for Deaf Awareness Week in May this year where again, I created special T-shirts for the whole staff nationwide to encourage people to learn British Sign Language whilst raising deaf awareness in a fun, modern way!

I’ve also recently won an award from Attitude Magazine as one of their LGBTQ+ Community Hero’s for the work I do with raising deaf awareness through social media and for my brand DEAF IDENTITY breaking down barriers and stigmas surrounding the deaf community.

Busy times!

Rebecca:
Aside from fashion designing, you are clearly a popular influencer on social media – do you think being in the media eye carries a responsibility when it comes to representing deafness and the LGBTQ+ community?

Luke:
For me, I post what I feel and like to express myself without any limits and I never sit and think ‘If I talk about this I’ll gain x amount of followers or go viral’ etc. I share my experiences of being deaf and gay and if this empowers others out there, then my job is done.

It’s always surreal and overwhelming when I receive messages from other deaf LGBTQ+ people telling me that I’ve inspired them to embrace who they are and to love themselves so I’ll always be grateful to those who have shown me support.

Rebecca:
I can see you’ve been doing lots of videos and awareness style pieces on your social platforms to inform your audience about deafness and deaf issues, do you think attitudes are changing at all?

Luke:
I think people are certainly a lot more aware of the deaf community and the barriers we face and I think it’s largely due to deaf awareness becoming more mainstream especially off the back of Rose Ayling-Ellis.

People seem to be a lot more patient with me if I can’t hear or understand them whereas a few years ago people would just cop out and say ‘never mind, it doesn’t matter’ so I’m glad that overall, attitudes appear to be changing.

Rebecca:
Very recently you were awarded the LGBT+ and Community Hero award for the Attitude Pride awards (congratulations!) – what did this mean to you?

Luke:
When I was told I’d been nominated I was floored and on cloud 9 for a while and then it was only at the photo and video shoot that I was then told I hadn’t just been nominated, I was actually a winner too which was just so surreal!

I feel honoured to have been recognised for the work I do and I hope that the award I’ve won will empower other deaf LGBTQ+ people and will open up doors for others.

Rebecca:
We don’t see much in the press about deaf gay people speaking openly about issues that have affected them – would you agree? What barriers do you think we still need to overcome in this area?

Luke:
I would agree with this and I think maybe it’s through fear of being judged or a lack of knowledge. I’ve struggled with facing judgement from other LGBTQ+ people because they have seen me as a deaf person as ‘less than them’ and have been excluded from certain things because of this so I hope over time that the LGBTQ+ community start to embrace those with disabilities too.

Rebecca:
How do you celebrate Pride? Do you consider Pride events to be accessible to deaf people?

Luke:
I celebrate Pride usually by catching up with my friends and going to Pride events, I’m going to Leeds Pride and Brighton Pride this year, my first Pride events since 2019!

I know that some Pride events now have BSL interpreters for stage events which is amazing to see but I do think that certain events are lacking in deaf awareness because sometimes presentations or videos aren’t captioned and the environment can be very loud and noisy which is overwhelming at times.

Rebecca:
Are there any assumptions people make about you as a designer that you’d like to change?

Luke:
I’ve found that when I started I wasn’t really taken seriously when I launched DEAF IDENTITY and I think it’s because I had no business training or knowledge in how to run a business and I used to get comments such as ‘Aw that’s nice you’ve got a little hobby!’ so people didn’t really class it as something which had longevity.

I noticed however that when I partnered with John Lewis back in 2021, people’s attitudes towards me and my brand shifted big time and people started to take me/DEAF IDENTITY a lot more seriously and then when Comic Relief happened where I was one of their designers, I think that cemented my place as a deaf, fashion designer and businessman.

I wish people would realise that being deaf within the fashion world still comes with its barriers and being gay also comes with its own barriers too so the success I’ve created has come through hard work, determination and drive.

A lot of people say I’m ‘lucky’ to have these opportunities, but there’s no luck involved. It’s through making things happen and having laser focus that has worked for me.

Rebecca:
Let’s talk about your lovely products now. I’ve noticed there’s a tendency to be playful and humorous, I laughed out loud at the “WTF” BSL hoody’s and the cheeky Christmas slogans. Do you think this is where your deaf humour comes through?

Luke:
Thank you! The ‘WTF’ was a Custom BSL design that a customer wanted and at first I wasn’t sure if it was a bit too close to the knuckle as I wouldn’t want to cause offence, but it actually had the opposite effect and I had no idea how popular that would be! I’m proud to have a brand where people feel they can express themselves freely through clothing.

Rebecca:
What would you like to create next, do you have anything new in the pipeline for the range?

Luke:
DEAF IDENTITY always has things in the pipeline and I’m excited to share the plans for what I have coming up for Autumn and even as far as Christmas too!

I’ve learnt over time that running a business doesn’t mean you have to go full steam ahead 24/7 and that running a business is a long game, not a short one so I’m enjoying the journey so far and won’t stop until I get to this ‘end goal’ I have in my head.

Rebecca:
Finally, are there any people you’d particularly love to work with in future?

Luke:
I would love to work with Chellaman!

Rebecca:
Good luck Luke and thank you for chatting to The Limping Chicken!

You can see Luke’s work by viewing the following links:
www.deafidentity.com
Instagram – instagram.com/deafidentity
Twitter – twitter.com/deafidentity
Facebook – facebook.com/deafidentity

Photography credit Markus Bidaux