Written by Kally Compton; Photos by Ric Morchower
Every fashion show is the same right? Lights go down, music starts, models walk, everyone takes their photos, and the crowd waits for the next look. This season, Chlomosexual Presents produced a fashion event like no other for Sweet Baby Ray’s Tees, flipping NYFW on its head.
Directed by Rachel Tiedemann and Executive Produced by Chloe Philips, the evening was built less like a traditional runway and more like a live piece of performance art interlaced with elements of nightlife. The audience was not there just to watch. They were pulled into the fantasy, the sex, the humor, and the chaos unfolding around them.
“My goal was to create a spectacle rather than a runway show,” Rachel says. “Wherever you looked it was c*nt.”
And she meant it.
Before the show guests were invited to indulge nootropic chocolate by SASS to evoke a sensual vibe. Allowing people to drop into their bodies and melt into the experience rather than just observe. As people made their way into the belly of night club H0l0, MTHR TRSA DJed the start of the event carrying into the runway show.
The lights began to swell, casting out the dark dungeon vibes as the screeches of the subway remixed with Addison Rae’s “New York.” Flashes of pink flew across the runway like a passing subway car. Then the models emerged.
The runway was studded with some of NYC’s hottest queer divas and international creators. Colette March, Malin Andrée, Fangs, Malea Kimberly, Kari Ferrell, Bunny, Codi Smith, and Aaron Mancus. Each brought their own unique flare into the world of the show.
The runway became a stage.
Comedian couple Britt Migs and Motti performed a fake, but very queer wedding set to a remix of Chappell Roan’s “Naked in Manhattan,” mixed by Music Director and Performer Von. They ended their “walk” with Motti going down under Migs’s dress as she screamed with pleasure. You get the picture. It was absurd, romantic, and just whacky enough to feel right at home in the middle of NYFW in Bushwick.
Then there was Von.
Coming off the release of her self-produced single “BICEP,” Von brought her performance practice directly into the show, stripping down as she sang “I take off my clothes” from an unreleased single “INSATIABLE” off her highly anticipated debut album. She stripped down even more, tying up her red hair with her matching bikini top. Then Ray took the runway and live spray painted the iconic C*NT baby tee directly onto the artist’s chest.
“The body is the best canvas,” says Von.
It was the kind of moment that made clothes beside the point. The body became the garment, the performance became the styling, and the runway became a place for transformation to happen in real time.
That sense of transformation was built into the production from the beginning. Rachel wanted the show to feel familiar while still completely unhinged. Her research pulled from the strange corners of early internet culture, including Dollz Mania, as well as the sleepover-era fantasy of Mary-Kate and Ashley.
“I wanted to create a level of familiarity and nostalgia,” Rachel says. “While also serving c*nt for all to see.” That nostalgia eventually found its way into a mid-show audio interruption from Chlomosexual themself.
A phone rings pausing the music and the voice of Chloe plays “Hey bitch, it’s Chlomosexual, you stole my fucking shirt and I need it back. I’m on my way to this party with the sexiest bitches in the city and I need to dress c*nt.” Then the lights flash red as a remix of Lambrini Girls’ “C*ntology 101” and Peaches’ “Hanging Titties,” plays. The Models re-emerged in their undies and C*NT baby tees.
This was more than your typical Spring Street show, it was an immersive experience where the performers could get weird. The audience could react. The music could take over. The runway could become a wedding, a nightclub, a strip tease, and a graffiti canvas.
And the crowd played along.
The show’s performance art urged the audience to do more than sit quietly and admire a collection. The crowd of girls, gays, and theys were non-stop screaming from start to finish of this 15-minute-long runway performance.
Expanding beyond the dancefloor, dressing room, runway, and spilling out into the streets of Bushwick, the audience left the venue with the same question. Who do I want to be tonight?
Check out all of Ric Morchower’s best photos from the show below!
Show Credits:
Executive Producer: Chloe Philips
Show / Movement Director: Rachel Tiedemann
Show Runner: Bella Danzi
Assistant Producer: Jer Block
Music Director: Von
Lighting Design: Joshua Groth
Hair: Ali Jo Stroud
Makeup: Kally Compton
Accessories: Ali Joy
Backstage Coordinator: Jesse Hepworth
Partners: Sass, Rythm, FLAMER
