Samantha Bratzke

Samantha Bratzke was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Samantha graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University with a BA in Art and Design. She spent her term abroad at The London College of Fashion, where she learned traditional corsetry under the instruction of Mr. Pearl. She expanded upon that practice throughout her BA, and upon starting her master’s she has used these skills to empower women to take ownership of their own bodies. She spent the summer after her first year working for Sinéad O'Dwyer, developing her skills as a maker by creating garments for a variety of different body types. During her time at the RCA, Samantha was selected to participate in the Bio-inspired-textiles summer course and she was selected as a finalist in the Prospect 100 x Kering Global Design Competition (both projects center on sustainability). She has also received a Commendation of Excellence in Shima Seiki’s 2022 Digital Knitwear Student Competition. Samantha specializes in design research, image making, textile development, and design development.

Special thanks to Everyone Active in Porchester Center and Muscle Works in Bethnal Green for their generous equipment loans.

Janni Lima, PCA British Bikini Tall Champion Bodybuilder wearing reverse rib knit gradient dress.

The title of this body of work is, "Flirting with the Judges"

I collaborate with female athletes, specifically bodybuilders, whose muscular bodies represent resistance against dominant cultural notions around women as fragile, weak, and subservient. This exploration is inspired by my background as a black belt martial artist, and the things I learned being a female athlete. Being loud was encouraged. It became ok to take up space, I stopped making myself small. I create second-skins to highlight the bodies that exist outside of society’s narrow parameters of femininity. For me, second skin is not only a bespoke garment, that bends, moves, and breathes with its subject, but also its extruding the essence of the subject and creating a piece to reflect that.

Reverse Gradient Rib Knits

Flirting with the Judges: The Garments, media item 2

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In Collaboration with:

Photography Collaborator Keerthana Dinesh Kunnath

Keerthana shot images of Janni Lima for my final body of work. Her images are pictured below.

Model, British Champion Bodybuilder Janni Lima

Janni has been a fit model throughout the creation of this body of work. She has inspired me to create garments that explore proportion and construction in new ways. Her radiant energy is reflected throughout this collection.

Director, Teodora Berglund

Samantha is collaborating with director, Teodora Berglund, in the development of a film that explores femininity within the realm of bodybuilding. The video will be released in early July.