As one does on a Sunday, 12th of March, I went to church. Maybe that isn’t the right way to put it— but getting to marvel at the sheer talent that is Luke Meloche (aka ibuyhorses) cuts it pretty close. In his effortlessly cozy sanctuary, adorned with artful symbols of worship (a makeshift paintbrush cross above a portrait of Terri Joe), the fashion world saw its next big shift. Equipped with the analytical mind of a scientist, the artistic direction of a visionary, and a touch of the goofiness of a chronic shitposter, Luke has it all. 

In a very serious and carefully strategized tête-à-tête, I was given a blow-by-blow account of the horse world Luke now finds himself immersed in. It all started with their early days at art high school in Ontario, where a particular interest in painting was sparked. They explored the art form by experimenting with the various strokes and textures of crayons and paint, later introducing fashion as a new medium by painting on thrifted items of clothing. The whole thing started as a personal ‘just for fun’ venture, until a major turning point from that period of time which we know all too well. 

After his first few years at university as a pre-med biochem student (I was not kidding when I said Luke had it all) he returned home to the comfort of his grandmother — or his lola — for a gap semester in pursuit of some well-needed mental recalibration. It was during this time, in the dread of peak pandemic-enforced confinement, that this passion developed into a full-time project, guiding a path of self-discovery along the way. To say that diving into a new endeavor head-first is intimidating would be an understatement. Even an artist as gifted as Luke is no stranger to this himself, trying to overcome any obsessive self-criticism or the obvious fear of ‘putting yourself out there.’ Yet, the support and empowerment of his grandmother is what gave him the confidence and impetus to not only go full force, but also begin to share his craft with fellow social media regulars. Thank you lola! 

So what exactly is the ‘craft’ in question? What are the inspirations? Why horses? Well you’re gonna wanna buckle down for this one, as we now get into all the juicy stuff, the nitty gritty, the ushy-gushy of it all. In case you didn’t notice, homoeroticism is a pretty large aspect, and it’s really only just the tip of an even larger exploration. Luke’s semester off was perhaps his greatest catalyst. Already dealing with a wealth of mental health struggles, he experienced a significant moment of introspection as his sex drive virtually disappeared following a course of antidepressants. With previous indications to their current, self-secure gayness, Luke began to question whether they were even a sexual being at all. In pursuit of understanding himself, he tried and tested his reactions to various forms of explicit media — particularly through explorations of the hypermasculine. 

And now, cue the archive deep-dives. What better way to depict this gayness than through a steamy portrait of two barely dressed cowboys? Sounds an awful lot like this one 2005 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger you may have heard of, except this one was a shot in 1958. Yes, 1958. Now that says a lot about society. But seriously, this Jim French print was just one of many that Luke had dug up, and it visibly stood out to him over the rest. In this very shoot (pg. 12) you can catch a clear glimpse of this homage on one of the shirts modeled.

As to build on this hypermasculinity, Luke began to manipulate these static homoerotic images into ones with more movement, and more texture. Like many of his projects, this exploration came about unintentionally, and with a touch of irony, the starting point being “building a boyfriend.” Playing around with ‘the ideal,’ Luke found himself building mutant men by attaching elaborate appendages and other sorts of slimy marine creature features. And hence, the first incorporation of biological mutiny was born. One could imagine it as what you might expect the lovechild of an analogue Arca and an aquatic creepy-crawly to look like. In fact, the centipede is an emblem that became of great significance to Luke, starring in many pages of their sketchbook.

Always inspired by their lola, Luke is passionate about staying connected to their Filipino heritage, and fosters this through various readings on his culture. In another deep dive, this time into the wisdom of his ancestry, he took a particular interest in Virgil Mayor Apostol’s ‘Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings.’ This is where he first discovered the significance of the centipede; namely its directional symbolism of right and left, each side representing a paternal or maternal connection. Wiggling its way into Luke’s subconscious, the centipede marked the start of a recurring dream synopsis, wherein one crawls out of his mouth, leaving what he describes as a little “welcoming bite” on its way. Decoding this as the passing down of knowledge from his lola, Luke made sure not to neglect any centipedes in his subsequent sketches. In fact, one of his greatest artistic inspirations as of late is a microscopic up-close detail of biotic images and insect locomotion. Needless to say, these colourful distorted images also serve to satisfy his ecological curiosities as the rigorous Environmental Science major he now is. Whilst the centipede is less prevalent in the accompanying shoot, we cannot deny its power behind the scenes. More than that, ‘centipede’ directly translates to “gayaman” in the Ilokano dialect from the Philippines. The stars have aligned. 

 

If there’s one thing Luke wants to get straight, it’s that amusement and irony come first. With his raw talent and direct access to prestigious art collections across Chicago — courtesy of his art critic sister — Luke has every right to claim membership in the high-brow art world. Still, he sees no need to dissect or justify the art, just let it speak for itself! But for all the serious art enthusiasts that really need to read into it, you can look for the easter eggs, though only to realize that you have become a part of the bit. If anything, the oozing, literally elevated flip-flops can be said to reference Luke’s first occurrences of gay thoughts — something about a Speedo-infested swim practice… Otherwise, it can be as simple as “Omg, this Soundcloud audio eats, lemme make a shirt for it.” Their primary motive speaks to the joys of existing online, paying homage to the pop girlies and our generation of devout stans. Even ‘ibuyhorses’ evolved from Luke’s finsta name which was taken from an advertisement he stumbled across on a meme page. Sexy cowboys, gayaman, horses — it all makes sense now. 

You can (and will) go follow ‘ibuyhorses’ on TikTok and Instagram to view said goofy promos, maybe even let out a giggle while you’re there.