Meet the Designer Who Turns Queer People Into Superheroes

Marco Marco has been weaving queer power into fashion for years. Filmmaker Melanie D'Andrea captured his creative force on film and shares her experience with the designer.

"I met Marco a few months ago," D'Andrea says. "He is such a humble guy who always attributes the power of his designs to the courageous, empowered people who rock them. Even in press photos, etc., he is known to put his hands over his face. However, in just talking to him briefly a few months ago and listening to why he designs queer-spectrum-inclusive pieces and his views on the power of queerdom -- he forever changed me. I knew it was time to take off the hands over this man's face and to showcase the vehicle and visionary he is for people to embrace their innate power.

"This is one of the most personal pieces I have been a part of -- which might seem contradictory since it is a 90-second digital/ social format. However, as a queer woman who came out at 27 years old, I have myself been connecting deeper to the queer family and community. In it I find sad stories, stories of being misunderstood, silenced -- and also the amazing resilience to keep growing and expressing the highest version of oneself. In it, we are all connected by our experiences, and there is a great power of all of us coming together and supporting each other. People like Marco and other great mentors and friends I have met in the path, have helped me push through tough situations and own my ultimate potential and superpowers. I hope that this piece can serve as that light for others to see that what may make them 'strange' or 'not normal', and yes, 'queer' -- can really be their biggest superpower. And that their superpower is necessary for the world to see. By you being fully empowered, it allows someone else to awaken themselves too."