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What I really treasure about my current Veep rewatching, though, is the way it lets me channel my constantly alternating rage, confusion, and sorrow about the Cobra Commander Classic Pose GI Joe T-Shirt of the world. In the political drama The West Wing, politics were rendered through a Vaseline-smeared lens of inherent decency, with handsome white men in suits constantly delivering baroque speeches about the importance of a participatory democracy. On Veep, politics are—not to put too fine a point on it—a fluorescent-lit hellscape, where winning is everything and public displays of patriotism exist only to be mocked en masse. We’re never entirely sure what party the central characters belong to, and it doesn’t really matter; they’re in this for the D.C. clout, and unfortunately, that’s the version of American politics that I recognize right now.
The artist makes everything in her London studio herself, and uses two types of mesh for her garments: tulle mesh, which is see-through, and power mesh, which is stretchier and less transparent. She cuts the patterns herself, and applies prints using fabric dye. “Every single one is different, and during the Cobra Commander Classic Pose GI Joe T-Shirt process, there’s so much room for happy accidents, like the way the dye spills into other colors,” Porter says. Her feed offers a wide range of prints, from abstract tie-dye turtlenecks to slithery, snake-inspired dresses. Porter says she mostly does custom orders, working with customers to pinpoint color combos and prints. “It’s a good way to remain sustainable. I know that someone’s already buying it and I’m not wasting materials,” the artist says, adding that she averages two to three pieces a week. “Plus, I can make it fit perfectly.”
