For a long time, fashion has inaccessible to many due to its reliance to gender and labels, but that is slowly changing due to brands, designers, and groups flipping the script. DapperQ, a queer style online magazine, is one of these groups joining in the fight of “ungendering fashion.” On September 5th, DapperQ had their 6th annual Queer Runway show called “Pursuit” in which they used models of different colors, ages, body types, ethnicities, and gender identities. The show itself is not recognized by CFDA as a part of Fashion Week, but it did not stop them from showing some showstopping and inclusive fashion.
Inclusivity in modern fashion has had a bit of a slow start in popularity due to it always being marketed as if it were a trend rather than representation. That fact did not affect this show though, there was room for everyone to feel represented and seen on that runway. It is obvious in these photos that the models were presenting themselves in the clothes rather than just presenting the clothes. This show was clearly not just about the designers and their creations. The brands and designers in this show included Cilum, Claire Flueury, Devonation, Halz, Landeros New York, Shane Ave., Sharpe Suiting, Stuzo Clothing, TomboyX (who was a sponsor), and Travis Oestrich.
- Sharpe Suiting (https://www.instagram.com/sharpesuiting/)
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Sharpe Suiting is an inclusive brand that creates (to quote their Instagram bio) “a unique silhouette to fit your style however you identify.” They had several gorgeous looks that night, but one really stood out to me personally. The look itself was on a model named Jazzyne, who was wearing a turquoise dress with pale orange running shoes along with a matching floral suit jacket and hat. The look is extremely eye catching on this model due to the styling of it. Everything looks perfect together due to its complementary colors and matching pattern.
- TomboyX (https://www.instagram.com/tomboyx/)
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TomboyX is an underwear brand for all people and the sponsor of the show, really showed the inclusivity that fashion could have. One of the models featured in their section was the openly transgender actor who was recently in “Spiderman: Far From Home”- Zach Barack. Barack wore boxers that featured the colors of transgender flag, jewels all over his body, and a crown. This was not the only look that caught my eye though. The other look from TomboyX that I loved was one where a model is wearing a rainbow printed bra and boxers along with a black cape with a holographic inside. The model is also covered in glitter all over their body. The last look from TomboyX is worn by a transgender model who is in a wheelchair. It is a simple pair of greenery patterned boxers, but is really elevated with the details of flowers on the wheels and the glitter on the body. In short, TomboyX really took the idea of inclusivity and brought it to this show.
- Stuzo Clothing (https://www.instagram.com/stuzoclothing/)
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Stuzo Clothing is a gender-free clothing brand with a streetwear edge. The looks mostly consisted of neutral-toned sweatshirts, pants, and jackets paired with sneakers or boots. The clothes themselves are actually affordable when you look at their website. It’s just amazing to see looks like this on Fashion Week. These looks are just so wearable to the everyday consumer unlike what is normally seen at Fashion Week.
- Shane Avenue (https://www.instagram.com/shane.ave/)
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Shane Avenue is a custom suit maker who believes that “a custom suit should be a masterpiece” (from their Instagram). That was very obvious based on their masterpieces of that runway. There were several gorgeous suits on that runway that were amazing, but there was one real masterpiece. The suit in question is white and features white and gold wings on the arms. I know that it is not very wearable, but it was such a gorgeous sight to see. On the more wearable side, there were several gorgeous tailored suits including one with a dark blue jacket and pants with black accents, a white silver vest, and black shoes.
DapperQ’s fashion show has really proven that inclusivity and fashion can go hand-in-hand. I really hope that this show inspires the rest of the fashion world to accept inclusive and genderless fashion.
HCXO,
Sydney