Interview: Breaking Down Barriers With Boxer Turned Style Icon Harry Garside

How do you think then that stepping out of your comfort zone – first from boxing to ballet and then from ballet to contemporary dance – has played a role in where you are today?
I think in the western world, and I can only speak for myself here, but we are so comfortable here. We’re so comfortable. We don’t really have any immediate stresses if that makes sense, and I think the only time you grow as human is in the places you feel most uncomfortable. I’ve been doing challenges for the past three and a half years, and I talk publicly about them all the time, but just watching my growth from the start of 2019 when I started those challenges to now, it’s been amazing. I’ve felt myself turn from a little boy into a man. Each challenge is a little bit different and unique, and some are harder than others, but each challenge you learn something new about yourself and about the world, and that’s the only place I feel I grow as a human.

Some of what we’ve loved seeing from you in and out of the ring has been this deconstruction of masculine stereotypes. When you think about the man that you’re striving to be, what qualities stand out?
Every time I got asked questions like this, Will Smith was the man that I used to reference. He just showed that he’s human, just like the rest of us, but he has many amazing traits and I think someone who, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the interview with he and Jada Pinkett when she’s talking about her little affair or whatever that was, he sat there and held space for a woman as she expressed herself. He didn’t react. You could see the pain and the hurt in his eyes but I thought: that’s a man. Someone who can listen to something that really hurts and isn’t reactive and can hold space for someone else, whether it be someone of another gender, or a friend, or hold space in a respectful way or an empathetic way, I think that’s the modern man. 

You spoke before about the space in which you think we grow as humans. Being uncomfortable is a scary thing, change can be a scary thing, and doing things differently can be a scary thing. What advice would you give to anyone that’s scared to shake things up?
Yeah it’s terrifying. I remember when I first started ballet in 2019 I was terrified to tell the people I grew up with. I was given this analogy when I was younger: people love you with a mask on and people hate you with a mask on, and when you take that mask off and really express yourself however you see fit, people are gonna love you and people are gonna hate you, so why wear a mask? What I noticed when I slowly and surely started taking off the mask that I grew up with, I started attracting people who respected me for whoever I wanted to show up as and I think that’s the inspiration and motivation now. However I choose to show up in this world, you will slowly but surely attract people who accept that. 

Building on that, nails done, skirt on… they’re iconic looks and ones we’re obviously here for. What is the intention behind those style statements? Is it simply just about doing something that feels good to you or is it deeper than that?
For me, it’s deeper. I love challenging things. It’s like, this whole system is made up. I’m very philosophical with my belief system and this is all made up so who’s to say we can’t burn it down tomorrow and recreate something else. I love challenging things. My mum being a medium, very spiritual, and my dad being a roof tiler, very right wing, I saw growing up that the mix between left and right, masculine and feminine, could be anything. I think that’s my purpose in this world: to bring both sides together, left and right… in a respectful way.

Having found yourself in the spotlight a bit for those looks outside the ring as well as in it, how have you noticed that your style or approach to dressing has evolved?
[laughs] I was pretty basic before the Olympics, I’ll tell you that right now. I didn’t have much fashion sense, I still shopped at ******* (we won’t name names but think trend-led teen brand favoured by mums and shopping centres all over Aus) and places like that.. I didn’t have much fashion sense but I’m pretty grateful for my partner. She's super fashionable and very expressive so she helps me out a lot. I’m just finding the freedom and flow in what I find unique and special and, as I said before, burning down this cultural norm of what we’re supposed to wear and rebuilding it however I see fit.

What’s capturing your imagination at the moment when it comes to style and fashion?
I wish I could give you an answer but my knowledge in the fashion world is still very basic. I really love how Harry Styles expresses himself. He’s very unique and very special but there’s many people who are even super masculine who wear suits and look super professional and that looks cool, but then there’s people who can really push the boundaries, and I’m finding that flow of like, there’s no real right way to do it, it’s just whatever I see fit. And that’s the cool thing, not locking yourself to one identity or one style of fashion, just whatever works.