Threads: A History & Future of Queer Fashion

In partnership with , we invite you to join us for an exciting exploration of queer fashion history and its contemporary evolution. This program brings together a diverse and dynamic panel of experts to discuss the intersection of queer identity and style.

Led by moderator Anita Dolce Vita, founder of dapperQ, the conversation will delve into how queer communities have used fashion to challenge the status quo, express identity, and push the boundaries of gender.

Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, a queer activist, or simply curious about the ways fashion shapes identity and culture, this program offers a unique opportunity to learn, reflect, and celebrate queer contributions to the fashion world—past, present, and future.

• Rosamond S. King, American LGBTQ+ Museum Trustee
• Marcus Anthony Brock, Professor at FIT in the English and Communication Studies Department

• Anita Dolce Vita, Owner of , LGBTQ fashion and culture author, blogger, and event producer
• Auston Bjorkman, Creative Director and CEO of , a pioneering brand dedicated to creating inclusive, stylish, and functional fashion for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals.
• Angela Denae, Queer Style Expert and founder of , offering expertise on how personal style intersects with queer identity and self-expression.
• Emil Wilbekin, Assistant Professor at FIT, renowned journalist and cultural critic, who will bring a wealth of knowledge on the cultural and historical significance of fashion in queer movements.

Special thanks to the English and Communication Studies Department and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

We invite you to submit images of your queer-inspired clothing and designs. A curated presentation of queer fashion by FIT students and alumni will be featured at the program, highlighting the creative contributions of the next generation of designers. Please submit images to [email protected] with the subject line “Queering Fashion.” Thank you!

A QUEER HISTORY OF FASHION: FROM THE CLOSET TO THE CATWALK

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER CONE-BRA DRESS. Jean-Paul Gaultier (b. 1952) is an openly gay designer who has never been afraid to play fast and loose with sex and gender stereotypes. His fascination with corsets, dating from childhood, helped launch a vogue for underwear-as-outerwear. His cone-bra dress stylized the female breasts in a way that recalls both African sculpture and the imagery of sexual fetishism, as well as brassieres of the 1950s.Velvet, Fall 1984, France, Museum purchase, P92.8.

Pomerantz Lobby: 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001-5992

Guest Entrance Accessibility: The entrance to the Pomerantz Lobby is wheelchair accessible, with automatic doors available. The Katie Murphy Amphitheatre is accessible via the Pomerantz Lobby

Seating: The amphitheater offers wheelchair-accessible seating. Please notify us in advance if you require specific accommodations.

Restrooms: Accessible restrooms are available on the lower level of the amphitheater.

Assistance & Accommodations: If you need additional assistance or have specific accessibility requests, please contact Events Management & Facilities Rental: (212) 217-4125

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to [email protected].

Emil Wilbekin is an Associate Professor of Journalism at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a multimedia maverick who contributes to The New York Times T Magazine, Vogue, The Cut, Architectural Digest, Time, Essence, Ebony, and Town & Country. He is the Co-Producer and Co-Writer on the documentary The Remix: Hip Hip X Fashion (Netflix). He is also the Founder of Native Son, a platform created to inspire and empower Black gay and queer men.

Wilbekin has served as Chief Content Officer at Afropunk, Editor-at-Large at Essence, Managing Editor of Essence.com, Editor-in-Chief of Giant and Giantmag.com, Style Guru at Complex Media, VP of Brand Development at Marc Eckō Enterprises, Editorial Director/Vice President of Vibe Ventures and Editor-in-Chief of Vibe Magazine. Under Wilbekin’s leadership, Vibe won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002. He holds a B.S. in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University, and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University.

Angela Denae is a queer intuitive stylist and advocate for authentic self-expression. She began her career in 2012 in New York as an assistant stylist, working with celebrities like Kanye West and collaborating with renowned stylists such as Lori Goldstein. Over the years, her work has expanded from on-set styling for commercials, photo shoots, and fashion shows to leadership roles in the fashion industry. She served as the Store Director at Anine Bing, where she played a key role in opening their Soho and Madison Avenue locations. From 2021 to 2022, she also held the position of Brand Director at Harbison Studio

Beyond styling, Angela created a vintage shopping tour for Airbnb Experiences’ inaugural launch, which became the top-booked experience in its first year. Her ability to blend fashion history, personal style, and curated shopping made it a favorite among fashion enthusiasts. She deeply understands the spectrum of essence expression, whether femme, masc, androgynous, fluid, or anywhere in between, and is passionate about helping clients embrace their authenticity. Combining celebrity and editorial styling with an intuitive, energy-aligned approach, Angela helps clients create wardrobes that effortlessly reflect who they are, empowering them through style.

Anita Dolce Vita is the owner of dapperQ - one of the world’s most widely read digital queer style magazines and preeminent voices in queer fashion - and the author of dapperQ Style: Ungendering Fashion. She is the executive producer behind some of the world's largest celebrations of queer style, including the annual New York Fashion Week queer runway show at Brooklyn Museum, the annual Target Youth Pride fashion show for NYC Pride, and queer fashion shows at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts/Boston. Anita also produced the first queer fashion panel to be featured at South by Southwest and has been a keynote speaker for DEI events for global retails brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, the New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Out Magazine, to name a few.

DapperQ is one of the world’s most widely read digital queer style magazines and is a preeminent voice in queer fashion and beauty. We inspire people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations to think differently about both queer fashion and beauty as art and visual activism, and ultimately have a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with style. In the words of Anita Dolce Vita, “dapperQ is a queer fashion revolution, one of the most stylish forms of protest of our generation.”

What started out a decade ago as a personal blog focusing on masculine style, dapperQ has since expanded into a multi-platform brand that includes panels, fashion shows, and the celebration of the full spectrum of queer style with our sibling project Hi Femme! Our wide-ranging original content and events have received media coverage in The New York Times, HBO, NBC News, Vanity Fair, Vice, Nylon, Refinery29, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post, to name a few. Our events have been showcased at world renowned cultural institutions, including Brooklyn Museum, the Institute for Contemporary Art/Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts/Boston, and the California Academy of Sciences. dapperQ produced the first ever queer style panel at SXSW as part of the official 2016 Sxstyle showcase and was asked to return in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to speak as experts in ungendering beauty and fashion.

Auston Bjorkman is a trailblazing trans-masculine designer reshaping fashion with a gender-expansive vision. He studied Menswear at FIT and became the world’s first known trans high-end fashion designer, showing his brand, Sir New York, at NYFW for over a decade both independently and with Dapper Q. His designs have dressed icons like, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Jaden Smith, Usher, A$AP Rocky, Rhianna, Beyoncé, cast members of Pose and Drag Race.

In 2019, Auston shifted his focus to designing for trans-masculine and non-binary folks, making affirming staples and fashion that centers their needs and experiences. Through TGS, he continues to build community by creating innovative, identity-affirming designs, from funtional fashion to silicone prosthetics, binders, and Cake Bandit a packing underwear line for queer, trans, GNC, and non-binary people

Host or Publisher The American LGBTQ+ Museum