What makes your style stand out?

I believe in large part it has to do with my gender expression. I don’t feel like I dress in conventional menswear, but I don’t necessarily think I dress in traditional womenswear either. Every outfit I craft is an abstraction of how I would dress the male body and physical contours in a feminine way. My friends often compare me to a Ken doll. I inhabit this uncharted third gender of a feminine male that is larger than life packaged in a 6’1” frame.

What’s your dream fashion moment?

I often have fantasies of a runway show, including non-binary or “gender disruptive” individuals dressed in outfits inspired by my closet. The runway show has no central theme other than a life-sized “Barbie” style eclecticism. Each model has their own identity and aesthetic—tapping into the very innate playfulness of trying on clothes and styling yourself. The show is a true reflection of how I see style as a means to nurture my inner child, comparing fashion to an adult form of “dress up”.

What would you do with $20,000?

A grant such as this would help me to maintain my financial independence. At the age of 15 my single father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Throughout high school and college, I was responsible for providing for myself. This Grant would help me to continue to explore my passions without worrying about how to make ends meet. Part of this Grant would also go toward taking my online lifestyle publication to a physical form in order to help continue print media’s legacy.