Book review: Queer and Trans Fashion Brands
I don’t know what I expected from this book, but it’s surprisingly academically in-depth. I am not a scholar of fashion (although I briefly aspired to be, like 30 years ago), but I find academic analysis of dress & adornment generally fascinating & pleasurable to read about. As such, I’m about to nerd out talking about this title Kelly L. Reddy‑Best’s Queer and Trans Fashion Brands: Resistance and Revolution in the 21st Century examines the emergence and impact of queer‑ and trans‑focused fashion brands in North America through the lived experiences of 25 fashion entrepreneurs. Centering fashion as a means of identity exploration and cultural production, the book positions these brands as responses to systemic exclusion within the dominant Western fashion paradigm. Reddy‑Best argues that queer and trans fashion enterprises are not niche trends but deliberate challenges to heteronormative ideals in sizing, design, retail environments, and visual culture, viewing fashion as ...
