How would you dress if you could celebrate every part of your identity without judgment? In conjunction with our exhibition All at Once, this is the question that local LGBTQIA+ style incubator Qwear Fashion will explore in their fashion show at 13FOREST on Saturday October 26 from 4-6 pm.
Much of the public conversation about queer and trans people rightly centers on threats to their rights and the challenges they face in our society. Though these subjects are vitally important, often queer joy, creativity and expression are not given equal attention. With our current exhibition All at Once, we wanted to tell a more nuanced story about identity and gender expression. To complement the themes of our show, we are thrilled to partner with Qwear Fashion to celebrate the imagination and innovation of queer people. We are especially excited to welcome back artist, activist and educator Amanda Shea as one of the models, who has hosted phenomenal poetry events at 13FOREST in the past. We hope you will join us for this unique performance.
Qwear Fashion’s statement about the event:
Queer identities are often reduced to performances designed for consumption by a cis-heteropatriarchal gaze. We are pressured to package ourselves in ways that allow the dominant culture to recognize our existence. A trans man in a skirt provokes confusion. A lesbian in heels becomes a spectacle for the male gaze. These expectations create a trap, where only the most palatable versions of queerness are deemed acceptable.
This fashion show challenges these constraints and imagines a world where queer embodiment can exist beyond the limitations of societal expectations—a world where we reclaim our bodies and identities on our own terms. We envision a space where gender and fashion are not tethered to rigid binaries, but are fluid and liberating. A space where the body is not a battleground for street harassment, objectification, or judgment, but a vessel for expression and joy.
Through this performance, we strive to envision a reality where our queerness and multitudes of identity are valid simply because we exist. As we collectively imagine and embody this freedom, we create a future where everyone can be free.
We invite you to join us in this vision. Attend the show in an outfit that reflects your truest self, the one you would wear if there were no fear, no judgment—only celebration.
We can create the future we want, together, all at once.