Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

She Ain't Taking It

2016; Duke University Press; Volume: 3; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1215/23289252-3334583

2328-9260

Tania Hammidi,

Crafts, Textile, and Design

Vanessa Craig is a suit consultant, fashion designer, and queer-events curator working it for two decades out of Los Angeles. Craig has a wicked taste for disco balls and uses her skateboard for pretty much everything. Her clothing lines include Sew-Gay and X-Killer, both design concepts utilizing silk screen, fashion design, and queer-community embodiments and knowledges. Through art, satire, and that special savoir faire, Craig creates queer, trans*, and lesbian public sites for dialogue, dance, and other forms of community participation. Craig, a surfer, was featured in Curl Girls, a Logo reality TV show chronicling the friendship of a group of lesbian surfers in 2007.Tania Hammidi:What is your preferred gender pronoun?Vanessa Craig: Vanessa, or “She,” or “Sir” if I am in the checkout line at Vons.TH:How is it to be a part of community-based art projects and the commercial world simultaneously?VC: I don't consider myself a part of the commercial world. I put my heart, soul, and vision into and therefore don't really see my work, in particular, as being commercial. I approached a recent stylist position at clothier Sharpe Suiting as a design project, curating the look and feel, collaborating with the community, using my network to spread the word. I gave it my heart and did not think about the end result. I was mostly concerned with creating something awesome and hopefully the people would get it and jump on board. I think people can tell when you are only out for profit, especially the queer community. Your aesthetic, reputation, product, and business will suffer.Although I do believe commerce is essential, I feel my role is and my desire has always been community. Being a queer person, naturally I want to involve the queer community in everything. I've collaborated with Maricon Collective, an [Los Angeles] LA-based Chicano art and dj collective and RobinsonABC, an eco-friendly waxed-canvas goods co. I asked our friends from [the band] Hi Fashion to use their music for Sharpe Suiting's Kickstarter video. These artists are friends of mine, whose work and vision I deeply admire. I always want to promote other artists' work in everything I do.TH:How do you identify? Artist, barber, hair stylist, visual artist, conceptual artist, painter, model, coach, mentor, hustler, tailor, anthropologist, poet, seamstress, stylist, on a journey . . .VC: That's a tough one. I tried to write a resume the other day and totally cracked. Let's just go with conceptual artist.I am currently compiling all my work onto a new website called “vanessacraigslist.com.” It will look just like craigslist.com, but will have most of my work on it. It's the only way I know how to showcase all of my strange and varied talents.TH:How has the current energy directed at queer, masculine-of-center, gender-queer, and trans* folk in the fashion industry effected your thoughts, practices, or self-imaginings?VC: One thing you can always count on with most masculine-of-center women as well as trans men, is their horrible encounters with trying to find traditional menswear that fits their bodies. You'll hear stories of the horrible dress they had to wear to their sister's wedding because they couldn't find a suit that fit and didn't want to be mocked again for being the awkward, ill-fitted queer at the wedding. Or on the flip side, a huge and bulky oversized sport coat with mismatched pants because that's “all there was.” I can totally relate. It's time we had more options and outlets to buy clothing that fits us better. That's why I went to fashion school in the first place, to start making clothes that fit me and how I wanted to dress because there weren't any. Nothing looks better than confidence, and I believe when people are in the clothes they want and clothes that fit, they will embody that no matter how they identify. I'm so happy this movement is taking place and to be a part of it. It's been too long and I think queers are just like, “We're not gonna take it anymore.”TH:How would you characterize this moment you see the fashion world and queer communities are in?VC: This is an interesting question. I think queerness is beautifully morphing into so many different tangents and things I never imagined growing up. I believe queer and trans people are always at the forefront of fashion, whether it is in and of itself being queer or trans, or whatever style one possesses on that big gay spectrum.Once the basics are established, that is, clothes that actually fit (or purposely made to not fit), the possibilities are endless. Even now I see queer fashion taking a more modern, futuristic, and high-fashion approach. I believe there is a whole frontier beyond the dapper movement and I can't wait to see it, or maybe even design a few things myself. It's a very inspiring time!TH:How does your practice as an artist cross over with the work you may or may not be doing in fashion?VC: In my Sew-Gay T-shirt line, I used subversive images to make a commentary on a number of issues: prop. 8, gays in the military, and overall lack of gay visibility. I wanted the shirts to be fun and campy, but to still deliver a message. I gave a nod to gays in the military with an army shirt that read “Mary,” an ode to tops ’n’ bottoms with “Private Parts” and “Major Ass,” and a heads-up to [Frank] Zappa with the 1980s neon lesbian fave: “Titties ’n’ Beer,” which on the back read “Thank God I'm Queer.” The beauty of this line was that not only was it a hit with queers, but a lot straight people bought them too.Aside from suits and parties, I make disco ball art. I have adorned boom boxes, BBQs, crosses, armbands, a bed frame, and even a low-rider bike. I don't know what it is about these magical mirrored squares, but I'm mesmerized by them and want to put them on everything!Currently I'm refreshing my pattern making and sewing skills to develop some really amazing, cutting-edge suits aimed at masculine-of-center women and trans men!TH:Is this real? Meaning: are we doing all the work we need to do as queer and trans* folks to support the boom in fashion modeling, advertising? Are we asking the right questions? If not, what do you see being left out?VC: I think a lot is being done on this new frontier. I say “new” because never before have so many specifically queer and trans brands been popping up. It's a new wave and everyone is riding it. From bloggers to models to designers, everyone is excited, and it definitely feels like a movement. So many doors have been opened, so much more visibility has been gained, so many new jobs are being created. Even though there may not be a lot of money behind this movement just yet, most people are just happy to be involved, and that's really touching and what I believe sets it apart.I feel like there will be companies, small or large that will continue to pop up as I'm seeing everyday now. Bravo to all of them. I feel it just adds to the Army of Us. In numbers, we can transform mainstream shopping, and more importantly, mainstream thinking.TH:What is exciting to you in the fashion world today?VC: I think we are totally headed to a super postmodern fashion state, and I'm excited about that. I think there will be less and less rules and structure, more free form and more freedom. Fashion will always swing like a pendulum, so don't worry, whatever style you are pining over will be back in some way, whether you like it or not. Although this time, some queer designer may actually design it to actually fit you.Personally, I'm going to be working on a goth children's line specifically for babies of queer parents. Look, a new category already!Cheers and thank you, Tania!