7 Queer Fashion Designers on LGBTQ+ Industry Representation
7 Queer Brands Doing the Work to Make Fashion Visibly More Inclusive
Zizi, NICOLE ZÏZI STUDIO
"I think queer fashion will become everyday fashion."
Zizi has taken a fully responsible approach to street wear, reimagining it with sustainable fabrics through her gender-neutral brand that includes outerwear, sweats, and accessories. When designing, she thinks about how each product directly affects the environment, mastering the art of casual sophistication along the way. Zizi also runs her own podcast, Nicole Zizi On Air, where she talks to creatives about their businesses, plus human rights and sustainability.
Image Source: Ashley S. McLean
My garments are for . . . "an array of genders and non-binary people, plus size and petite people with different beautiful shapes and sizes of bodies. Moving away from skewed media and societal based perspectives of what we 'should' or are 'supposed to' look like from a traditional way of thinking, I look at garments as a means of expression and functionality."
The thing I love about the industry is . . . "we support each other and we are loyal to each other. I used to Intern for Coco and Breezy and as soon as I shared that I started my own business, Breezy was quick to support. This is special to me because as a supervisor, they had no reason to support [and wear] my brand, but they believed in it and gave me an energy boost to keep on my path. I'm so proud of Coco and Breezy and how they are consistently advocating for progression and change within the community, especially through their work. They are huge advocates for diversity and inclusion."
I felt honored to be part of the LGBTQ+ community when . . . "I experienced the Pride festival in New York in 2018. It showed me how we can be strong, resilient, and love each other regardless of differences. I also believe that social media has played a huge part in allowing LGBTQ+ people to be seen, where we share images of ourselves or our partners in threads and show visibility of each other. It is beautiful to be able to share our experiences with each other and to be seen by each other."
As I continue to design . . . "I have to remember that there is no certain 'gender neutral' fabric. Fabric is fabric, and you can wear it any way. It's more so a matter of what's most flattering for the body wearing it. I'm working on collections that honor that thought. I think queer fashion will become everyday fashion. It won't even be 'women's fashion' and 'men's fashion,' it's just going to be 'fashion.'"
