A genderqueer fashion show in New York last weekend concluded in a model protest.
Models at the un(Heeled) fashion show, a one of the largest showcases of masculine attire for women and trans customers, walked the runway at the Brooklyn Museum last Saturday displaying stylish suits, ties, and signs that read "Black Lives Matter."
The message references the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, which rose to prominence after the 2012 acquittal of George Zimmerman, who was charged and then acquitted in the murder of the black teenager Trayvon Martin.
The runway protest, which was produced by the style website dapperQ, comes in the heels of demonstrations held around the country in response to the legal system's inability to hold white police officers accountable for lethal violence against unarmed black men, including the strangulation of Eric Garner in New York and the shooting of Michael Brown in Missouri.
The show ended in a "Hands Up" demonstration, in which the crowd of hundreds raised their hands in a show of solidarity with the national movement.
"We cannot extricate style from politics in the queer community," said Anita Dolce Vita, the executive producer of the event. "Fashion is not just fashion. For some, simply wearing a suit is a radical and political act. DapperQ is a queer fashion revolution, one of the most stylish forms of protest of our generation. We stand in solidarity."
See the bold looks from the designers of un(Heeled), including Bindle & Keep, Sir New York, St. Harridan, Goorin Bros., Sharpe Suiting, Jag & Co., and Angie Chuang, in photos and a video below.
DapperQ presents: (un)HEELED: A Fashion Show for the Unconventionally Masculine from April Maxey on Vimeo.
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Starr Scoge
Photo Credit: J. Chuang Photography
Photo Credit: J. Chuang Photography
Photo Credit: J. Chuang Photography
Photo Credit: J. Chuang Photography
Photo Credit:Steve Prue
Photo Credit: Atrulee Photography
Photo Credit: Steve Prue
Photo Credit: J. Chuang Photography
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Photography by Suri
Photo Credit: Monet Bernard
Photo Credit: Ryan Kipp
Photo Credit: Ryan Kipp
Photo Credit: Ryan Kipp
