TAKING PRIDE IN FASHION WORLD
LGBTQ DESIGNERS IN L.A. DRAW STRENGTH FROM PROTESTS AND A COMMUNITY READY TO RESHAPE THE WORLD
WHILE LAST year’s Pride was exuberant in its celebrations, the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement gave Pride 2020 a more introspective feel. With diversity more important than ever, the LGBTQ fashion community is hopeful that massive reforms are coming.
As June’s Pride Month came to a close, The Times turned to nine LGBTQ movers and shakers for a passionate discussion about racism and equality in the fashion industry and more. The responses below have been edited for clarity. Read the full story at latimes.com/lifestyle.
JONNY COTA DESIGNER OF JONNY COTA STUDIO What does real equality mean to you when you consider the Black Lives Matter movement and the rights of the LGBTQ community?
> Real equality looks like equal access, equal treatment and equal opportunities for all people across race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic status without discrimination. In Los Angeles, this means that equal access to community and health services to all people is paramount and that equal treatment under the law — without prejudice and racial bias — is absolutely essential.
Equality means that in order for all lives to matter, Black lives must matter first and Black livelihood is no less valuable in the eyes of the police, educators and employers than that of their white counterparts. Equality means that as a gay person, a trans person, a Black person or as any marginalized person, the social contract you have with your surroundings, community and authority is identical to the agreements shared by the dominant population in the same surroundings.
What improvements do you want to see in the fashion industry?
> As a queer designer, I want to see LGBTQ models and imagery celebrated more than they are fetishized. I want to see gay pride-inspired products being released year around rather than only during Pride Month. I believe that a fundamental aspect of “queer power” is body positivity and appreciating all bodies, and I would like to see that more organically blended into the fashion imagery we see in our magazines and on billboards. I want to see the diversity in fashion become normalized rather than strategic branding.
UZO EJIKEME COFOUNDER OF STUZO CLOTHING What does real equality mean to you?
> Real equality means we as Black and LGBTQIA people no longer needing to protest for basic human rights — human rights that are only available to some. True equality begins when life is valued more than anything else. There is no Pride without Black pride. We must start raising our standards. We are all human beings. We have to start acting like it.
We create based on what world we want to live in and highlight our favorite time period or genre. When you feel confident in what you’re wearing, you show up as yourself. We make clothes for people, not genders. It is our mission to affirm us as the beautiful beings that we truly are.
What are you working on?
> We built our business on going to festivals and Pride events. With the current state of the world, we have to pivot to building out our online store and platforms to sustain and propel us forward. The survival of our business is so important to us and our community. We have a voice, and we need and must be heard. Along with my partner, Stoney Michelli — we are both the cofounders — we are working on keeping people safe with our masks.
JORDI CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF RADIMO What does real equality mean to you?
> I think of a cartoon I once saw about the difference between equality and equity. And I feel like my focus right now is more so on equity. I am processing this time and how much emotional and spiritual labor, specifically Black LGBTQ people are doing. To heal and fight simultaneously is a feat I can only say I’ve learned from the Black trans community. Within the exploration of equity, I center the conversation of reparations, siphoning resources to the most marginalized and magnifying the voices of the oppressed. When there has been an overwhelming imbalance of power, to balance the scale, my brain doesn’t go to wanting just equality. I want equality plus interest.
Equality informs what story I am telling. Within the fashion and entertainment industry, there is a very clear homogeneity that my identity goes against the grain of. Even specifically, the face of gender-non-conforming queer fashion styles is still dominated by cis-gendered, hetero white able-bodied individuals.
What do you want to see improved in the fashion industry?
> Divestment. I want to see larger companies, a majority of them being owned by white men, siphon the resources they are monopolizing to marginalized creators; more ecofriendly creations that focus on repurposing fabrics [and] recycling looks; and provide full benefits to the people who produce them. And more trans nonbinary creators and models getting paid.
EDUARDO LUCERO DESIGNER OF EDUARDO LUCERO What does real equality mean to you?
> Anyone from any community being able to define themselves on their own terms instead of by institutional prejudices and limitations. Growing up as a gay Latino immigrant in middle America was no piece of cake. At the time, there wasn’t much integration as far as racial diversity, much less gay visibility, so getting bullied and having to fight my way home after school became a normal occurrence.
True equality, therefore, means not only acceptance but the celebration of the differences between us all — whether we are talking about the LGBTQ community or Black Lives Matter. There are many issues that cross over between these two groups, and becoming allies in breaking down barriers is essential to me at this moment.
How does that play into your designs and work?
> I understand the power of putting on something that says, “This is who I am right now.” In the LGBTQ community, we sometimes use dressing up as armor to face the day; sometimes to blend, sometimes to stand out. So the power of transformation and defining ourselves through what image we portray inspires me. That’s the reason I’m a designer.
We are at a pivotal time in history right now, and I want to contribute. I lived through the AIDS protests in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The importance of raising your voice and being visible saved lives back then. Hopefully, it can do the same now.
PAIGE MYCOSKIE DESIGNER OF AVIATOR NATION How have the recent protests across the country affected you creatively?
> I have made brighter, louder choices in our colors this season. Most of the new designs we have coming out are super bold, including rad neons and funky tie dyes. I’m really feeling the bright stuff right now, and I think it has something to do with being cooped up for the last three months. It’s time to be out, loud and proud of who you are, regardless of your skin color.
I have also designed some giveback tees to support equality and Black Lives Matter. These designs are in development, and we are hoping to launch those in the summer. We are sifting through various charitable organizations, deciding who the tees should benefit. All proceeds will go to a cause we align with, and our goal will be to raise money and awareness for our communities that need it most.
There is no doubt this movement has inspired us to want to do more, and I think the best thing we can do is to create garments that bring attention to the cause while also raising funds to support it. This important movement affects all of us, and Aviator Nation will continue to enforce equal rights for all within our company walls and on the streets and communities that surround them.
TIMEEKAH MURPHY DESIGNER OF ALANI TAYLOR What does real equality mean to you?
> Equality means giving everyone the equal opportunity to live, dream and be free. We never asked for special treatment in the LGBTQ [community]. We asked for equal treatment. We want to stop being marginalized and passed over. Treat me like the man standing next to me applying for a job. Look at me like the qualified candidate you need. It hurts me to see that many gay and lesbian designers have to hide themselves in order to get a certain job in the industry.
I am part of two worlds — the LGBTQ and the African American communities — who are often mistreated. We are often overlooked, scrutinized and belittled for who we are and what we look like. Being a Black lesbian woman, you would think I was born with three strikes. According to society, I was never supposed to win, but I did. When I was in the Army, you would get kicked out for being gay. Our love preference should never be something that keeps us back from receiving the equal treatment we deserve.
KAREN CHATELAIN DESIGNER OF BURKINABAÉ What does real equality mean to you?
> Equality means being judged solely by the quality of your work, being paid for your work equally to other people in your genre or medium and not being looked upon in a different way because of either the color of your skin, your gender or your sexual orientation — anything else that people may want to use to discriminate against you.
Art and the beauty of art should be blind to discrimination. Art is the soul of the creator, so it is sacred.
What do you want to see improved in the fashion industry?
A tale as old as time, I would like to see real people on the runway. Yes, it takes less material to make a dress for a Size 0. Yes, most Eurocentric magazines have images of white people in high fashion, but I think it’s truly important to have representation of every ethnicity.
I remember when I got really excited. On Sunset Boulevard, I looked up and saw a very dark man modeling Yves Saint Laurent. It was so inspiring.
NIK KACY FOUNDER OF NIK KACY FOOTWEAR What does real equality mean to you?
> As a designer and activist in L.A. since moving here from New York in 1993, I’ve spent most of my adulthood passionately fighting for equality, at first on a personal level as a queer, young lesbian and later as creator of the first genderfree footwear and accessories brand. I also founded and executive produced Equality Fashion Week, the first LGBTQ+ focused fashion week in L.A.
Every effort is made to amplify the voices of the most marginalized in order to inspire equality for people of color and trans and nonbinary folks. From the events I produce, which provide equity for our underrepresented communities to the designs I create which are all gender-free, I believe that by creating avenues for people to remove gender from products gives them the opportunity to express themselves authentically without limitations of the gender binary.
What improvements would you like to see in the fashion industry?
> The fashion industry continues to lack representation for the LGBTQ+, body positive and people of color. The last few years have seen a dramatic change and improvement as more people from these marginalized and under-represented groups continue to innovatively come up with solutions.
I would like to see all fashion brands and retailers update their archaic way of looking at sizing and genderizing and create gender-fluid shopping experiences so the shopper can choose what fits them both physically and identity-wise. Selfridges attempted this a few years back for a brief period, but I think it should be universalized across the board — the same way I’ve sized my shoes.
COREY RAE TRANS FASHION INFLUENCER What does real equality mean to you?
> It means that people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals deserve to be treated the same as white, cis, hetero people in all industries, but that’s just the first step. What we really need is equity, which is the ability to have the same opportunities and support that white, cis, hetero people have in order to achieve fairness.
What do you want to see improved in the fashion industry?
> More inclusion of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals of every shape, size, race and ethnicity with major fashion houses. Whether that’s hiring these models for runway shows, lookbooks, ad campaigns, e-commerce, I want to see more of us being faces of major brands. Myself included.