Hey Ladies, Gweens and everything in between!
Are you sick of traditional fashion? Are you tired of seeing a “Menswear” section that is more boring than a Rachel Fauxrelle performance? Perhaps you're tired of seeing “Masc 4 Masc” on every Grindr profile, or never feeling like you “pass” as your gender identity... Well you and me both!
First, you gotta know who I am. Why? Because I’m a pile of trash. But unlike your normal gross trash, I’m like that nice trash you wouldn’t mind laying on top of while you're going at it in a back alley with a drunk stranger you just met in the bar. The name’s Edna Allan Hoe, and sadly I’m not vain enough to write about myself, that spot is reserved for Lavender Mist! I am here to tell you about a recent collection by Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Alumni Ryan B. Workman!
Ryan’s collection is one for the SCAD books, and for those that know the SCAD fashion department, I’m sure we were all wondering what Paula Wallace’s thoughts were. The collection is “classified” in the “Menswear” category, however it pushes beyond our traditional views of menswear and womenswear.
Ryan told me once, “My collection isn’t menswear, womenswear, or even androgynous - it's anti-gender and anti-fashion. It attacks how we define clothing and dares the world to think in a different perspective.”
The collection draws its inspiration from drag, burlesque, and our own bodies, questioning what defines a “man”, what defines a “woman” and then deconstructing these definitions.
I personally have two favorites from this collection! The look that Ryan calls his “Duderus” garment and these beautiful nipple tassels (that I hope I can talk him into letting me wear because these things are so big I might actually start flying away if I can get them spinning!).
As a Drag performer, LGBTQIA activist, and Genderqueer individual, this collection goes beyond our traditional notions of what is “in and the next minute out.” This collection comes during a time when people are afraid to use the bathroom, afraid of not looking “insert gender presentation here” enough, and unable to be themselves because of their own clothes. Take a moment to give Ryan the praise his collection deserves and applaud him for clearing a small pathway in the fashion industry for people who are considered “different.”
Ryan B. Workman is a voice that won’t go unheard and for that I say… CONGRATS BITCH!
For more of yours truly, be sure to check out me on Social Media:
Instagram.com/ednaallanhoe
facebook.com/ednaallanhoe
Can’t get enough of Ryan B. Workman? Me neither! Check him out here:
Instagram.com/ryanbworkman
facebook.com/ryanbworkman