Browsing Tag

fashion

Houston-based ‘Paradox Moth’ is the Queer, Black-owned Streetwear Brand Breaking Stereotypes

Posted on June 30, 2022
A photo of Paradox Moth co-founder Chuck Ohamara.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to get creative—in the ways we work, the hobbies we adopt, and the art we make. For queer Houstonian Chuck Ohamara, that creativity birthed Paradox Moth, a fully inclusive, LGBTQ-focused, minimalist streetwear brand. Along with fellow co-creator and queer model Alex Sundstrom, Ohamara set out with a simple mission: to build a fashion brand for everybody and every body. “It started as a side hustle,” Ohamara explains. “We wanted to test how to run…

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Journals of a Leo and a Virgo: Pandemic Passion Projects

Posted on June 4, 2021
A photo of new queer literary journals.

The start of 2021 was rife with big events—on the macro scale, the nation watched in shock as a riot stormed the Capitol of the United States, and only a few weeks later, we witnessed our first female vice president step into her role. After a year under varying states of lockdown and social isolation, we rejoiced at the rollout of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine. At the micro scale, families around the nation saw their broods expand with the births…

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The Shirt Off Our Backs: The Emotional Labor of Queer Clothing

Posted on October 4, 2019
A photo of queer clothing.

When I first came out, I had a realization that both excited and perplexed me—I could wear anything I wanted. No longer having to appeal to the male gaze, I was free to be aesthetically pleasing to a whole new audience. This is a common experience for queer people who have just come out; they realize for the first time that, because their sexuality is now beyond the normative social constructs, so are their hair and clothing choices.…

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Hyphen Boutique: Empowering Community Through Gender-Inclusive Threads

Posted on September 11, 2019
A photo of clothes from Hyphen Boutique.

Boutiques around the world are full of sounds—of swiping credit cards, clacking cash registers, and excited murmurs of customers. This consumer concerto is more than transactional, however. Each exchange, each experience, contributes to the overall relationship being built between a shop and its patrons. “There’s no reason why we can’t connect with people through our clothing,” says Blake Mudd, founder of Hyphen Boutique, a Houston-based gender-inclusive and size-inclusive clothing brand. “I think a lot of people look at shopping as…

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The Problem with Gender-Neutral Fashion

Posted on September 4, 2019
A photo of gender-neutral fashion.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “clothing” as “garments in general.” While the word “clothing” is not inherently a gendered noun, we as a society have declared different types of clothing to be specific to one of two genders/sexes. Clothing such as skirts and dresses have traditionally been associated with women/feminine persons; meanwhile, loose clothing and suiting have been linked to men/masculine persons. Throughout the history of Western civilization, ingrained and rigid gender roles—coupled with sexism—have helped to maintain this status quo.…

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Bold and Beautiful: This Queer-Owned, Plus-Size Modeling Agency is Taking Center Stage

Posted on May 17, 2019
An illustration of PHAT DIVAS.

Houston-based plus-size model and entrepreneur Tiffany Page-Pratt learned the definition of hustle from her mother. A hardworking woman, her mom sold Avon and Tupperware on top of her full-time job at the post office. “Watching [my mother] was what built my ambitions,” Page-Pratt says. “For starters, it takes a lot to be a single mother, but to also juggle two and three jobs—I commend my mom for that.”…

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Femme Fashionista: Stylist Miramar Dichoso On Body Positivity, QPOC Representation

Posted on September 30, 2018
A photo of fashion stylist Miramar Dichoso.

There’s a certain glow that surrounds Miramar Dichoso when she talks about fashion. Sporting velvet sandals and socks adorned with pearls, the Austin-based stylist and speaker excitedly contemplates what new shade (if any) will replace the millennial pink phenomenon. “People might find forward fashion a little odd because it hasn’t quite been embraced by the mainstream yet. I love wearing socks with open-toed sandals because I love whimsy in fashion,” she comments on her outfit choice. “I get a myriad…

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The Mysterious Nicholas Nguyen: Out Fashion Designer Talks Houston, Vietnam Success

Posted on September 24, 2018
A photo of fashion designer Nicholas Nguyen.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. After that, I wanted to be a teacher. I even thought I might be a theatre dramaturg or production assistant for a while. But life didn’t pan out that way for me—I didn’t find my true passion of writing until adulthood. Others, like out fashion designer Nicholas Nguyen, have had their eyes on the prize from day one. “When I was a kid, I used to go into my…

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