Each day brings a unique opportunity for everyone to artfully blend and express their personal style, confidently showcasing themselves to the world. However, within the diverse spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ community, some individuals possess an innate ability to effortlessly curate ensembles from their wardrobes, effortlessly crafting fashion statements that transform their everyday existence into a captivating runway display.
One of the ways that LGBTQIA+ people show in expressing their identity and sexuality is through the power of clothing! Fashion allows individuals from the community to break free from societal norms and embrace their unique sense of style. It serves as a powerful form of self-expression, enabling them to challenge stereotypes and celebrate their individualities. With any outfit, these people can show off their confident and true selves, which is what every one of us deserves in whatever we wear outside.
Because of this, Prism.Philippines had reached out to four fashionable queer students from Benilde Antipolo to learn about their fashion-forward style and to understand why clothing is one of their main strengths to express themselves.
Ashley (20, He/Him, Communication Arts)
First up is 20-year old Ashley Jumawan. His style is described to be slightly revealing because of Ashe’s confidence and love for see-through clothing. Yet, he is modest in all of his outfits. He wanted to show a cute look by going to school clad in a black and white coordinate similar to a babydoll look due to the layering and laces, yet it exudes modesty. For his get-up in the interview, he reused an old high school uniform for the top and black jogger pants that used to be in style back in the 2010s.
Not only that, the attire comes with loafers, giving Ashe a touch of comfort to his outfit. Lastly, for the finishing touches, a white see-through collar over the button-up top and lace gloves with ribbons from Shein is added. These two pieces show off Ashley’s love for diaphanous pieces, while maintaining a sweet humble look.
Jumawan expresses his love for clothing because this is one of the ways to show off who he is as a gay person with one look. Growing up, Ashe only wore basic clothing because he did not have the freedom of dressing who he is due to the restrictions from his former schools and the public. Now that he’s in a college institution that has an inclusive environment and protocols, this has allowed him to buy, wear, and slay whatever clothing he likes to make him feel like the beautiful, confident, and charismatic person Ashley is without any boundaries!
Bri (21, He/Him/Them, Communication Arts)
John Brian Fernandez, or simply, Bri, our sports editor, takes inspiration from 90s and 80s streetwear, creating a classic and timeless street style of their own. Just by looking at the picture, Bri shows it off smoothly, layering a black T-shirt with a blue sleeveless hoodie. His pants are vintage and a belt that peeks on the side showing that it is from Calvin Klein. To pull off the full street style, Bri wore the shoes that could fit any outfit, the black Vans. Bri is a big fan of accessories as well, wearing watches, bracelets, bucket hats, and piercings to turn the whole outfit into timeless streetwear that never ages.
Fernandez loves to break the heteronormative stereotypes of gendered fashion, such as wearing crop tops or pieces for specific genders, because they do not like labels. This is why Bri loves to express fashion as an unlabeled person because they believe people can wear whatever they want to feel comfortable and confident with who they are. For Bri, there is no such thing as gender in fashion.
Emman (19, He/Him, Education)
If you want to talk about sustainability and thrifting, Emman Cabasbas’ got you covered! His style is known to have that playful and androgynous look while being sustainable because almost every piece of the outfit is thrifted! From the black Kenzo Paris shirt down to the wide, denim pants that complement each other. Emman also wore a cowboy-style jacket inspired by the hit movie ‘Barbie’. For the shoes, Emman wore Dr. Martens for a modern look, especially the yellow linings, and Emman expressed that Dr. Martens make a look different from typical black and school-like shoes.
Emman believes that fashion can express who you are without words or gestures. Emman also believes that fashion is a mood booster, especially when he goes thrift shopping. Seeing all the different clothes and styles gives Emman the opportunity to have dynamic and playful outfits, experimenting with different styles. There are days when Emman wants to show masculinity, femininity, or a mix of both, to display his love for androgynous fashion.
Steven (22, He/Him, Communication Arts)
Steven Eugene Loayon style is known to make people’s heads turn in the right direction! Steven loves expressing himself through fashion, especially the retro look to give 70s vibes, including his love for IV of Spades and Zild, with which the 22-year old also dabbles in emo style. He is also a fellow thrifter because almost half of the outfit is from Ukay: the white button-up top and the brown belt, down to the red pants, brown boots, and timeless aviators that give the classic 70s vibes. For the accessories, he has the two rings from Zild’s recent gigs in Quezon City, a bracelet that the brother gave him, and a watch given by his dad.
Fashion is one of the main ways Steven can fully express himself as he describes clothing. Steven believes that fashion has its own expression and that it speaks for itself visually. For many years, vogue has become a safe space for Steven because, in his words, "Clothing became a protective piece of who you are but showed who you are within". Fashion helped Steven throughout his sexuality as a bisexual, discovering it through his teenage years. Until now, it is still helping him to brighten up his mood and express who he is to the world. Benilde’s Spectrum of Colors
For the fashion icons of Benilde Antipolo, fashion became a confidence booster, an expression without words, a way to break the boundaries of gender stereotypes, and a safe space to show who they are. To them fashion is more than just pieces of clothing, fashion is a way to show your true colors. Even though these four students have different styles and colors of clothing, they all have one thing in common: pride, a defining value carried by everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community and a value to showcase to the world.
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