DT—24
Levi Angelo
Levi is a trans masc illustrator and textile artist from Kitchener-Waterloo who specializes in hand-embroidered patches and upcycled fashion. He uses bright and fun patterns and bold designs in his work and experiments with textural elements in mixed media. Levi is obsessed with the details in his work—each thread is stitched with passion and precision. To unwind, he likes to live an active life with weightlifting, cycling, and hiking as part of his daily routines.
Levi recently won the Student Scholarship Award from the New York Society of Illustrators for his 2023 thesis project, History of Drag.
Innovative Media Award
(Innovation & Exploration in Media)
Stitch Savvy
To make this collection, I repurposed thrifted fabrics by printing on them with linoleum blocks to create a pattern. Then I used the fabrics to create new fashions inspired by upcycling and environmental sustainability. Each of the patterns uses iconography from natural elements, as well as a matching hand-stitched patch of a creature found in their respective environments.
String Theory
This painting was a media exploration between acrylic and embroidery. This is the painting that drew me toward textiles and embroidery—something I have found passion in—and has given me a way to express myself. Struggling with burnout and anxiety, I was able to express my worries seeping out of me, growing from my hands that could only find calm in stitching. I look forward to exploring more mixed media and textiles in my future work.
24″ x 32″, acrylic and embroidery on canvas
The History of Drag—Society of Illustrators Student Award
This hand-stitched project celebrates the beauty of the drag community and explores the expressive poses created through the art of voguing. The star represents the STAR initiative created in the 70s by Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera dedicated to housing young transgender individuals living on the street and participating in sex work. The lavender paisley pattern around the star was inspired by the hanky code colour for drag queens. Each of the portrait patches represents a pride flag and features the pink and black triangles used to mark the LGBTQ+ individuals during the holocaust, which have since been reclaimed by these communities.
