Maison Émeute in Williamsburg (Courtesy Devon Pyles)
Four independent Brooklyn brands that combat ‘current, toxic norms of fashion’
Brooklyn Magazine spoke to four LGTBQ+-friendly creators about how they cater to, and make space for, everyone through their brands
As this Pride month comes to its inevitable conclusion, it’s worth remembering how it started: with companies from Target to Starbucks to Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev caving to outrage from right-wing personalities and social media influencers, and rolling back their embrace of Pride celebrations.
Target in particular seemed to go out of its way to make its Pride merch less visible and in some cases remove it entirely.
The good news is, if you live in Brooklyn, you don’t have to shop at Target. Brooklyn Magazine has curated a list of Brooklyn-based indie designers or brands who are defiantly pro-LGBTQ+.
Devon Pyles of Maison Émeute
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Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I’m a wannabe environmental lawyer playing artist in an oversized blazer. Half-Brooklyn Jew and half-Kentucky Southern Baptist — where I was born — I lived a lifetime inspired by the uniqueness of us all. As a cis-female, one could say I’ve dressed in drag most of my life. Wearing “men’s” clothing has always been cool to me. I’m inspired by my LGBTQ+ family and honored to celebrate pride in staunch allyship with them. I opened my first vintage clothing shop in 2006 after bailing on law school and sold it off in 2011 to move to Williamsburg and start a new brand. What was initially a studio grew into a workspace then into a pop-up/residency at Rosa New York and just recently to our own retail location in Williamsburg. We purvey our own collection of androgynous pieces composed of salvaged cotton and leather, custom/upcycled vintage, and designer capsules. We’re the genderless, joint-smoking teen behind the bleachers of fashion culture.
How does your identity inform your work/outlook on your brand?
I live in a culture of inclusivity. I believe in freedom of expression through clothing as a true medium of art because everyone should wear whatever they want. I blur the lines of the masculine and feminine in celebration of humanity as a single human race and welcome everyone who rebels against the current toxic norms of fashion.
How do you actively advocate for all identities through your work?
Style has no gender, race, sexual orientation, cultural origin or religious affiliation. Inclusion is at the core of our ethos, and we have and will always be a space for people to celebrate themselves with curated styling services (new vintage pieces arrive weekly from Paris) and in-house tailoring. Any garment can be fitted or reimagined into something that truly celebrates the individual, as it is the power of creativity we want to share as a means of lifting everyone up. It’s the idea that the unique is preferred and to be different is our true definition of beauty.
David Krause and Nina Zilka of Alder New York
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Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
We are Nina Zilka and David Krause, founders of Alder New York — a clean, vegan, gender-inclusive skincare brand doing things differently because skincare doesn’t have to be complicated. We are proudly queer, woman and independently owned.
How does your identity inform your work/outlook on your brand?
Our identities are very much tied into why we created Alder New York. We created this brand because we both wanted the same thing: clean, uncomplicated skincare that could effortlessly work into our lives. There is so much gendered skincare out there that doesn’t work that well, that isn’t safe to use, that isn’t vegan — and there is no reason for that. Your skin type has nothing to do with your gender identity; it has to do with your hormones, genetics and environment, and our products are designed to work for all skin types and bring them to a healthy, balanced, glowing place.
How do you actively advocate for all identities through your work?
Our brand is inherently gender-inclusive, and we’re very conscious of creating a safe space for consumers of all gender identities. Additionally, we donate 10 percent of sales of our Pride Limited Edition Cooling Mineral Hydro Mist to the Ali Forney Center in New York City, whose mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.
Sheena Sood of abacaxi NYC
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Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I’m the designer and creative director of abacaxi. With my brand, named after the Portuguese word for “pineapple,” I focus on using traditional textile techniques such as handloom weaving, natural dyeing, hand-knit and crochet, and exquisite embroideries. My designs are made in India, Peru and Mexico with incredible artisans, who are oftentimes one of the few keeping ancient traditions alive.
Each of my collections explores a concept. Most recently for SS23 entitled “Wise Words,” the inspiration came from a set of so-called “untranslatable” words from different languages which I found to be very beautiful. For example, the Swedish word smultronställe, meaning “a place of wild strawberries — a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness.” Every abacaxi garment incorporates storytelling — whether it is somewhat literally in the details of the fabric design, or part of the silhouette inspiration.
How does your identity inform your work/outlook on your brand?
My Indian heritage is really what inspired me to become a designer in many ways. The richness, breadth, and depth of history in textile and garment design that I was privileged enough to witness first-hand from a young age while traveling back home to visit family in India, the unique use of color, and the custom garment-making process that persists there, sparked a desire in me to become a fashion designer.
My approach as a designer is in fact deeply inspired by indigenous dressing and forms of dress from my heritage, which was always adjustable, multifunctional, and designed for longevity across generations. I always think of the sari as the ultimate design — one single garment that can be draped in hundreds of different ways and can fit almost anyone. I carry the ethos of traditional dress with me as I design pieces to be worn in multiple ways, that are adaptive, meant to last, and have easy sizing to fit a wide range of body shapes and all genders.
How do you actively advocate for all identities through your work?
In addition to creating beautiful clothes and working with artisans to keep traditions alive, I am also proud to say that abacaxi has now become a gathering space; a space not just for my own creativity but for the community, collective imagination, and action. One of my favorite parts of owning a brand is being able to work and collaborate with like-minded BIPOC and queer creatives and makers. Support from my own community has been so pivotal in my building abacaxi.
Sam Finger New York
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Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
I am a New Yorker, born and raised. I’m also LGBTQ+. And I am a fashion designer!
How does your identity shape your work/outlook on your brand?
Recently I found myself defending an 11-year-old who identifies as they/them to an adult who refused to use their chosen pronouns. For me, it meant everything for that kid to feel protected in that moment. That’s something I didn’t get myself growing up. So I take that story into my work. With the current bans against the LGBTQ+ community, SAM FINGER is my platform for combating that rhetoric by celebrating, promoting and supporting queer and trans faces in the media.
How do you actively advocate for all identities through your work?
I try to cover the full spectrum of identities in the castings of a show or campaign. I also like to imagine who would wear each piece as I design a collection. By showing as much of the spectrum of humanity as I possibly can in the clothes and the models, I hope it helps people feel united and free to express themselves most authentically.
Want more? Check out these other LGBTQ+ supporting brands based out of Brooklyn. If you love antiques, visit BLK MKT Vintage. If your fashion tendencies lean toward glitz and glam, check out Kelsey Randall. Brandon Blackwood is a queer-owned, black-owned brand based out of Bed-Stuy, bringing forth colorful accessories and swimsuits.
