A Youth Outgrown

The concept idea came from a conversation photographers Jake Spencer and Victoria Barrell had about being in their early 20s. They have both found entering the ‘adult’ world an experience with conflicting emotions — both of optimism as well as not quite feeling ready or prepared for what lies ahead. For them, this was most prevalent during their first year in London in 2021. Moving to a new city to begin their careers in the creative industries created mixed feelings of holding onto memories of a past self whilst still desperately trying to grow into something new. It felt as if adulthood didn’t quite fit right yet, like a child dressing up in their parents’ clothes and pretending to do all of the things an adult would. However, despite feelings of uncertainty, this time in their lives isn’t just doom and gloom. Looking to the future, there are endless new possibilities and it is exciting to imagine where life is going to take us. The reason that they chose to reflect on this experience through the medium of fashion and photography is because they wanted to use their personal perspective to express this mentality shift in a way that can hopefully be understood by other young creatives, as they know these feelings aren’t just unique to them. Their aim is to invoke some of these mixed feelings in the viewer, providing a narrative linked by all elements of the imagery. ‘A Youth Outgrown’ was completed using a team of young, upcoming creatives with styling that includes mostly graduate and independent designers.