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HIV Unwrapped is a joint project between Positive East, Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine and fashion designer Patrick McDowell to bring together science and fashion to help illustrate how these fields can connect and work together to explain science, exemplify innovation and contribute to artistic activism. Using the lab coat as a premise, the project draws inspiration from the question – what would you wear as a HIV scientist/researcher which amplifies yourself and your work in HIV?
In February 2025, the project paired five fashion students and recent graduates from Central Saint Martins, and five UK based HIV scientists and researchers. During this time, the designers developed five unique concepts that sought to reimagine, redesign and redefine the traditional lab coat informed by, and reflecting, the scientists work within their respective field of HIV. We encouraged the designers to interrupt and explore notions of HIV science within their artistic language, approach, point of view and aesthetic.
From the HIV pandemic’s origins in the early 1980’s to the present day, art emerges as a powerful tool, fostering empathy, challenging misconceptions and amplifying the voices of those living with HIV as well as reflecting the diverse experiences of people and communities living with HIV, both intimate and collective. This project helps explore this intersection between HIV science and innovation and visual artistry; creating new creative responses to HIV whilst paying tribute to how artistic expression has helped shape the medical, cultural and political response to HIV.
This coat is a fusion of cultural identity and classic menswear tailoring, drawing inspiration from the colour schemes of both the Ghanaian and UK flags. The design blends these two distinct national palettes, symbolizing a connection between heritage and contemporary global fashion. Through tailoring, I have crafted a timeless silhouette that embodies structure, elegance, and versatility.
The coat’s long form is not just an aesthetic choice—it is a tribute to the extensive research and tireless advocacy of Vanessa in ending the stigma surrounding HIV.
The elongated shape serves as a metaphor for endurance, progress, and the ongoing fight against societal prejudices. I used asymmetrical patterns to reflect the challenges of HIV research—an intricate, demanding process that requires resilience and dedication.
The tailored silhouette provides balance, symbolizing the structured expertise of Dr. Vanessa Apea, whose work in HIV research and stigma reduction is both ground-breaking and inspiring.
William Abney is in their final year of studying BA Fashion Menswear at Central Saint Martins. During their time at Central Saint Martins, they have explored tailoring techniques, sustainable fabric development, and the intersection of traditional craftsmanship with modern design. Their work is influenced by classic menswear silhouettes, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens that emphasizes versatility, functionality, and individuality and experiments with textures, draping, and unconventional construction methods to challenge traditional notions of masculinity in fashion.
Dr Vanessa Apea is a consultant physician in Genito-urinary and HIV medicine and research lead in Sexual Health at Barts Health NHS Trust. She is honorary senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. Dr Apea is a former Fulbright scholar and has a master’s in public health from Harvard University. She has an established track record of exploring and promoting health equity in marginalised populations, with a particular research interest in participatory approaches, she has 15 years’ experience of successful collaborative working with community stakeholders, third sector agencies, health economists, sociologists, health psychologists and commissioners to advocate for racially minoritised communities in the UK, Canada, and Ghana. Dr Apea is the BAME NIHR co-lead for North Thames CRN for COVID-19 and clinical representative on London’s Fast Track Cities Initiative Stigma Subgroup.
I have focused on Dr Rageshri Dhiaryawan’s book Unheard and her research into how we can better encourage patients to stay in HIV care by improving experiences and outcomes. Heard and believed is a phrase that particularly stood out and is featured above an appliqued earth motif. This symbolises HIV/AIDS as a global matter and how Dr Rageshri described the importance of seeing a patient’s whole ‘world’.
The front features a padded heart, representing how healthcare workers personal experiences influence their practice and patient outcomes, and a reminder of the ‘person’ behind the uniform. A yellow ribbon fastens at the front of the cape as a symbol for Endometriosis which Dr Rageshri’s experience with has greatly influenced her practice.
‘Patient Power’ is a recurring phrase in Unheard, and on my cape alludes to the history of HIV/AIDS and its relationship with activism. Two shield designs (in the colours of the Unheard prescription – inspired cover artwork) are featured on the sides of the cape referencing the SHIELD study. One features an ear design, with arrows pointing inwards as a visual representative of active listening. The other reads Knowledge, Trust, Loyalty, Regard – 4 important traits Dr Rageshri explains as beneficial in improving doctor patient relationships.
Terry Milligan is a designer from Manchester, and a recent 2024 graduate of Central Saint Martins with a BA in Fashion Prints. His work often explores themes such as queerness, identity, heritage and community and he is known for his maximalist print and surface designs that celebrate colour and storytelling. Through its camp aesthetic, Terry’s work hopes to inspire joy, humour and optimism in the viewer or wearer.
Dr Dhairyawan is a Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust and Deputy Director of the SHARE Collaborative, Queen Mary University of London. Her clinical work, research and advocacy focus on improving health equity, Rageshri has held numerous national charity and policy positions and regularly works with patient organisations. She is currently Chair of the BHIVA Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group, steering group of 4M Mentor Mothers CIC and a medical advisor to NAZ. Rageshri is a Wellcome Collection x Spread the Word non-fiction awardee and author of Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing (Trapeze, 2024).
For this project I met with Laura and discussed her amazing career journey as a clinical advocate for sexual health. Along with the information Laura gave me I began researching HIV cells as I thought this would give me inspiration for texture and colour. I found one particular microscopic image of a cell infected by HIV, for something that is so frowned upon by many uneducated people, I found the shapes and textures in this image interesting and began creating textures through crochet using various different yarns to emulate the cell shapes under the microscope. I designed the lab coat using a pattern so it was still recognisable.
To portray the cell on a large scale I crocheted a mix of blues and greens together to create an aqua colour base coat and used various textured yellow yarns to create crochet circles to represent HIV. I then crocheted ruffles to create the texture of the cell and make the coat more 3D. As well as adding sequins and fringe for extra texture and bringing in my signature knitwear style. I wanted to show that not everything surrounding HIV has to be negative and the tactile glittery elements portrayed that well.
Laura set up People’s First Charter, a company that guides people to use correct preferred language when discussing HIV/STI material. I think by doing this Laura is helping to break stigmas and enabling people to learn the correct way of discussing HIV related language. I have included ‘P F C’ on the pocket of the lab coat to give a nod to all the amazing inspiring work that Laura continues to do through her organisation.
Drew is a queer designer from the North of England specialising in knitwear and crochet. A recent graduate from Central Saint Martins their style of fashion design is eccentric, camp and kitsch with an abundance of glamour shimmering throughout. With a focus on shape and influence from club kid culture they create bold silhouettes. Heavily inspired by queer culture, personal experiences, and the love of making a statement but not taking things too seriously in the process, they aim to turn negative experiences in life and find the beauty in creating a positive outcome. Throughout my work I am experimental, using unusual materials and creating beautiful garments from things lying around the house, rubbish and sustainably sourced materials; mixing opposites together when designing which ends up with often a fun/ more out-there concept and allows me to view my work in different perspectives.
Laura Waters is a consultant physician in HIV and sexual health. She is HIV lead at Central and North West London NHS Trust, leading a multidisciplinary team that includes peer support workers, specialist nurses and pharmacists. She is chief or principal investigator on several HIV treatment trials and an Honorary Associate Professor at The Institute of Global Health at University College London (UCL). Laura is on the HIV Clinical Reference Group, sits on the Board of the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV and chairs its Patient and Public Panel. Laura founded the People First Charter in 2021 to promote person-centred language in HIV care and research and is an ambassador for Positive East’s U=U community quilt project.
“As it fades, we are reborn.”
This lab coat is inspired by the life and work of British scientist Kate Bishop and British artist Derek Jarman. Even after being diagnosed with HIV, Jarman continued to express himself through art, planting flowers along the shore where is unbelievable for plants to grow. His poignant act became a powerful symbol of resilience, optimism, and an unwavering connection to life, leaving a deep impression on me.
During a conversation with the scientist Kate, I learned that DNA cells are often dyed and represented in blue. This detail resonated with me profoundly, merging in my mind with Jarman’s imagery of flowers dissolving into the ocean at the same time his significant film ‘blue’. The colour blue, often associated with scientific research, also carries meanings of vastness, depth, and the unknown—a bridge between knowledge and hope.
With this in mind, I created this lab coat as a tribute to Kate and Jarman’s spirit and a reflection on the intersection of art, science, and humanity. Designed in collaboration with Positive East and Patrick McDowell, this piece is more than just clothing—it is a statement of resilience, awareness, and the power of creative expression in the face of adversity.
Shuo Sun is currently studying Fashion Design Knitwear at Central Saint Martins. With four years of experience as a designer, Shuo has held two personal exhibitions showcasing works made from mixed materials. Coming from a family deeply rooted in the Chinese medicine and medical supplies business, Shuo’s background has greatly influenced their approach to design, always seeking to contribute to the well-being of others through their work.
Kate Bishop has worked on Retroviruses for over 20 years since her PhD studies on retroviral restriction factors. In 2008 Kate started her own research group at the National Institute for Medical Research and since 2015, she has run the Retroviral Replication Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London, where she is now a Principal Group Leader. She was an Assistant Research Director at the Crick between 2018 and 2021. Projects in Kate’s lab focus on understanding the early stages of retroviral replication, including investigating the relationship between core uncoating, reverse transcription and nuclear entry of retroviruses, and determining the function of the viral capsid protein in these processes, and understanding the function(s) of the lentiviral accessory proteins Vpx and Vpr and their cellular targets.
The meeting with Julie Fox of KCL Kings left me full of emotion, inspiration and a feeling of restriction, yet we still have come a long way in the last twenty years of the HIV discovery. I felt really inspired to create a lab coat interpreted visually as almost armour that’s unfinished due to the ongoing struggles professionals such as Fox face traveling to Subsaharan Africa. I had this vision of the cells latching onto the bone marrow, and through this I draped sequins around the garment as a representation of how strong HIV is, yet the shoulders are large, representing the hard work and power the community is having helping cure and treat HIV.
Julie is co-founder of the UK HIV cure group Collaborative HIV Eradication of Reservoirs: UK BRC (CHERUB) and leads the international combined HIV adolescent prevention group CHAPS. Through knowing of her co-founded organisation, I was inspired to paint abstract cherubs on the jacket, along with distressed paint representing the roughness, yet softness of Julie’s life’s work. Sequins are a representation of something glittering in the sadness, people such as Julie are fundamental in coming together to change the world, and that to me is a positive shining light, sequins show this.
Adam Frost is a Visual Artist, Fashion Designer and Musician who takes inspiration from themes such as his London working class background, going to Indian temples, sexual and mental health, rave culture, couture houses, and the demure. Incorporating his own paintings screen printed, draped and often in unconventional materials along with hand painting vintage leather, encrusted in rhinestones. The Adam Frost World is a production, the show consists of all Frost’s art forms
Professor Julie Fox leads the HIV clinical trials unit at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and is a Professor in HIV Infection and Sexual Health at Kings College London. Her research focuses on HIV prevention (vaccine and pre-exposure prophylaxis), HIV cure and optimising HIV treatment. Julie has led EU funded programs in Sub sahrahan Afircan in HV pre-exposure propshylxis (CHAPS and MOBILE MEN) and COVID and is co-founder of the UK HIV cure group: Collaborative HIV Eradication of Reservoirs: UK BRC (CHERUB). Furthermore, she was trial physician of the international HIV vaccine and PrEP study, PREPVACC.
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