Friends and fam, as you may have noticed, aside from our annual New York Fashion Week event at Brooklyn Museum, we have been less active, particularly on our website and social media platforms. That is because dapperQ’s publisher and show executive producer, Anita Dolce Vita, has been authoring dapperQ’s first ever print book, dapperQ Style: Ungendering Fashion, to be released by Harper Design May 30, 2023 and available for purchase here.
In a political climate that is increasingly hostile to body autonomy and freedom of expression, even to the point of politicians banning LGBTQIA+ books and introducing anti-drag performance legislation with such broad language that it could criminalize anyone who dresses in a manner that “exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer’s gender assigned at birth“, dapperQ remains committed to creating platforms for our communities to shine and thrive, while continuing to dismantle harmful gender binaries.
dapperQ Style: Ungendering Fashion shares a vision of a joyful, gorgeous world where everyone can be comfortable expressing their own personal style however they choose. The book opens with a foreward by famed genderfluid activist Desmond Is Amazing. Throughout, interviews conducted with 38 visionaries from across the queer fashion scene, including internationally acclaimed artist ALOK, renowned poet Kay Ulanday Barrett, and beloved bklyn boihood community organizer Dr. Van Bailey reinforce three core themes in queer fashion: Visibility. Belonging. Liberation. Each interview is accompanied by extraordinary photographs from The Street Sensei, known for their streetstyle work with celebrities, that reflect each interviewee’s aesthetic while showing off their outfits, down to the finest details.
We hope you join us in supporting Black queer authors and continuing to fight for LGBTQIA+ visibility by showing our voices matter! Stay tuned for discussions with Anita and the interviewees! This is an essential for your coffee table, classroom, corporate DEI efforts, and personal inspiration. An act of defiance. An act of love.
