A Pride Month Experience + LGBTQIA+ Canadian Designers

My Experience with Pride Month + 5 inspirational LGBTQIA+ Canadian Designers

It was June 2019, the first time I went to the Toronto Pride Parade. I was 17 at the time, and my mom and I were avid watchers of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I loved the makeup, the comedy, and OF COURSE, the fashion. So, when it was announced that the Drag Queen from the show's eleventh season, Brooke Lynn Hytes, was performing at the 2019 Drag Ball, we KNEW we had to go. 

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I can admit, it was quite an interesting experience for me. I woke up that morning, threw on my most (and only) rainbow-coloured thing – which was a bright yellow Adidas raincoat – and we headed downtown. The performance was to be held at Yonge-Dundas Square, in the heart of the downtown core. It just so happened that a couple of blocks over at Nathan Phillips Square, there was another festival where one of my Uncles had a booth. Alongside him, were my two VERY religious grandparents. It was here when someone would mention the Pride Parade, and where my Grandfather would exclaim with dismay “Ugh! Who even goes to that thing?!” I remember being so bothered by what he said, and my mom telling me “You have to understand it’s his generation.” But why should that be an excuse? Why should there be any excuse for hatred? 

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Flash forward two hours later where his Daughter and Granddaughter were fangirling over Drag Queens, after squeezing ourselves to the front of the crowd (throwback to when we had crowds!). It was an experience that made me feel so alive and joyful, and even as a cis-straight-17-year-old-girl, I felt so welcomed into the community that night. 

Photo of Shannon’s pride attire

Photo of Drag Queen from Pride Parade

So, what does this have to do with fashion you may ask? For many but especially the LGBTQIA+ community, fashion is a means of authentic expression. And though each June we celebrate the increased visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community, people have been (and continue to be, as per the example with my Grandfather) repressed and shunned. Fashion has always been a means of re-establishing one’s self, creating a unique identity, and giving voice. 

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This same year in July, I would volunteer as a dresser for a public fashion show in Nathan Phillips Square. This was a special experience for me as here, I would work alongside some very talented LGBTQIA+ designers. My eyes were opened to a whole new outlook on what fashion is and what it could be - defying traditional stereotypes. In celebration of Pride Month, here are some of those designers, plus some more to check out:

1. Mic. Carter of L’uomo Strano

Toronto-Based designer Mic. Carter is known for their experimental designs. Born out of a lack of welcoming shopping spaces, Carter’s brand L’uomo Strano continuously challenges the conventions of high fashion. With a focus on social justice, Afrofuturism, abjection and community, they work to create a responsive beauty for the femme-identified, gender non-conformist’s wardrobe. Mic. Carter ultimately wants to make clothing that will have people feeling like their most authentic selves.

@luomostrano

2. Charlotte Carbone

Charlotte Carbone’s designs are quirky, funky, and go beyond aesthetics. She uses fashion to celebrate and empower Queer folk. Carbone is a recent graduate but has already won an episode of the Canadian television show STICHED, and established Ryerson University’s first genderless clothing brand PH7. As a bisexual Asian woman who was adopted by a Canadian family, she uses fashion to explore these different parts of herself. Through her designs, she hopes to show how Queer people are not a trend but rather a community fighting for existence.

@charcarbone

3. Alexander Kershaw of Yung Alexander  

Alexander Kershaw is the mastermind behind the clothing label Yung Alexander based out of Toronto. Kershaw creates pieces that are gender-indifferent, non-conforming, and quite playful. From the bright colour palettes to fun silhouettes, the clothes speak for themselves. They tell stories of inclusivity and the complexities of contemporary identities. Think streetwear with an avant-garde twist!

@yung_alexander

4. Ellix Prince Cain of VII and Ellix Cain

Designer, model, writer - Ellix Prince Cain is an all-out creator. Originally from the US but now based out of Vancouver, he is the designer behind ready-to-wear clothing brands VII and most recently Ellix Cain. The label approaches design through a lens of alchemy, seeking to transform ideas and materials into something greater. Cain uses his experience as a queer, trans, disabled artist to inspire the clothing without limitations or repercussions to individual expression. 

@ellixcain

5. Cary Tauben

Although this last person on our list isn’t exactly a designer, I just had to include them. Montreal native Cary Tauben is a stylist - a quite popular one in fact. Tauben has gained a reputation for portraying gritty realism, hard-edged minimalism, and graphic modernity. Their creativity shines not only in their professional work but also in their personal style. Tauben’s Instagram feed is filled with photos of them rocking their fabulous and creative outfits. And their fashion is no different than their personality - they are both bold, bright, fun, and full of life!

@carytauben

I recognize that these are only a small fraction of LGBTQIA+ Canadian designers, and that fashion means different things to different people. So to close this article, I’d like to ask: What does fashion mean to you? And also, did we miss your favourite LGBTQIA+ designer? Let us know in the comments below!