politics of style: gender fluidity and fashion

Y’all already know AFROPUNK isn’t just about music. It’s about basking in Black heritage and celebrating our shared identities and interests in a safe, joyous space amongst friends and family. As AFROPUNK continues to grow and become a cultural staple for so many young people, one of our favorite things to witness has been the evolution of fashion, style and the ways everyone expresses themselves.

For the gender-conforming to our non-binary fam, fashion aesthetics play a powerful role in how all Black folks express themselves. At AFROPUNK Brooklyn 2018 we want to shout out some of y’all who look beyond gender binary and gender conforming when it comes to how you present yourself to the world. Be it dressed in a onesie or a dress or a completely androgynous, totally fluid look that anybody could pull off and still feel like themselves, the intersections between gender and fashion are an incredibly curious space to occupy, especially in a Black body.

And especially when those choices are an assertion of agency and identity.

Photos by Fredrick Salyers for AFROPUNK

Photo by Fredrick Salyers @7haman

Shaham McLauren and friend.

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

“For me when I get dressed it’s like throwing paint at the canvas. Usually, I never wear the same combination of clothes twice. I just mix and match for however I feel and here we are.” – Zanahary

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

“I just like being a boy and a girl at the same time.” – Martell Marshell

Photo by fredrick salyers (@7haman)

Photo by fredrick salyers (@7haman)

“Z’maji” Paul Robinson

Photo by fredrick salyers (@7haman)

LaQuann Davison

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

“I just free-styled it.” – Kat

\Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

“I like for my clothes to be able me and speak for me. The things that I buy tell the story of who I am, what I’m about, and what I believe in.” – @ketchthetailor (left), Amber Jones (right)

Photo by fredrick salyers @7haman

Ruben Johnson