“We need to be celebrating sex and the ownership of each other's bodies.” Designer Luis de Javier on sculpting confidence within eroticism.

Spanish designer Luis de Javier has explored taboo feelings from the very beginning of his career. Fresh off the heels of his New York debut, Javier explored the allegory and contrast of the meanings behind heaven and hell, staged at the iconic Angel Orensanz Foundation, the place where Alexander McQueen first made his U.S. debut, bringing together years of history of societal disruption.

Armed with a different task two months later, Luis de Javier was approached to question sexuality in a different environment - the 5th Annual PornHub Awards, an event staged in Los Angeles that brings forward the ever-present conversation of breaking the stereotypes behind sex work, and further celebrate the body in all of its multi-layered glory. As someone who has never shied away from guiding societal conversations through design, he caught the opportunity to present a vision that empowers his muses, and more importantly brings forward a point of view that looks out onto bigger and more futuristic concepts of owning our own image - from head to toe.

Speaking to Perfect after the PornHub Awards, the designer shares a glimpse of his identity slots into his process, and how the biggest leap of faith in dressing is to trust someone to share your personality in the right way.

Angel: Luis, beginning with the inspiration behind these looks, what was your starting point?

Luis de Javier: I started out by not only wanting everyone to be very comfortable in their looks, but also bring emphasis on the unique shapes of the body through corsetry. A big thing for me is to make sure that they just shined for their own personalities and what they wore, and they didn't have to play any type of characters or fit into stereotypes. This is why I went for something simple but very current, and making sure that the girls could put in who they are in each look, instead of me leading the narrative.

Angel: Sculpting the body is a very personal and specific process, how did you approach choosing the right look for each person?

Luis de Javier: It all begins and ends with knowing your model or your muse. I wanted to design according to personality, especially with some of the models loving the snatched look, and utilising corsetry to create an intense figure. I also like to find out and understand how they witness a look in their mind, however it is still difficult because you don't get to have a lot of time planning together. What I learned from my New York show is that the creatives working in the sex industry are constantly stereotyped, and they are often put in a very narrow frame by definition. It was crucial for me to get to know each one of them, and see them for who they really are.

Angel: What was your biggest challenge when creating these looks for the models? What materials and processes did you utilise in the lead to the PornHub Awards?

Luis de Javier: The biggest challenge was mental, thinking about and not knowing how everyone will feel, as my main goal was everyone to be as comfortable as possible. There is a lot of preconcieved notions that everyone in this industry will just wear whatever, but that is ultimately false. Personally, I did not feel relieved until the final fittings and I knew everyone was satisfied and felt like they are sharing the best image of themselves. And I wasn't going to be relieved up until we had to fit in. I knew that everyone was happy.

I mainly worked with my latex partners who also helped me me for collaborative collection with PornHub, so it was a very natural process from the beginning. The idea was really to bring this sensual cohesive idea together, where everyone's looks make sense brought together.. I think it was a good way to tie it all in in a way that made a lot of sense for the industry, but also bring an unexpected point of view that further brings layers to the looks, and the wearer.

Angel: As someone who has been in the industry for a long time, what would be your advice for many of the young and independent designers nowadays, trying to find their exact place within?

Luis de Javier: The main thing would be to KEEP. ON. GOING. It is going to get easier with time, and when you arrive at the place of where you want to be, it will feel so worth it. You just need a lot of hard work and it's only going to get better. You are going to have moments like these where you meet people from other industries, and that is going to fuel that fire that you have in you in order to bring your vision forward.

Angel: What was your favourite part of the PornHub Awards experience?

Luis de Javier: I think Hollywood has its own entity and bubble. My favourite moment was seeing everyone together, feeling confident and celebrating sex and the ownership of each other's bodies. Regardless of what everyone thinks, I just want to see people educate themselves and actually know what this industry is, and give the creatives in it the respect they deserve without judgment, and celebrating it.