Discover Some Of The Best LGBTQ+ & Gender Neutral Wedding Dress Designers
JUNE 14, 2022
Pride month comes with many celebrations, many realizations, and many non-conformist moments. With being proud of who you are, the month stands for much more than sexuality, and love for one’s self. Pride month stands for being true to yourself, to who you want to be, and to who you’ve always been. And the same holds true for the clothes you wear, be it your wedding, to work or to go out with friends, your clothes and the outfits you don are an extension of your personality.
This Pride month, let’s take the time to appreciate some of the greatest queer-owned apparel brands, most of which, as you will see, were born out of the desire to give something back to the community and to eliminate a challenge faced by real people. Let’s take the time to look through the stories of some of the most iconic LGBTQ designers of our time, go through their motivations, their ideas of gender-neutral fashion, and the pretty, pretty, gender-neutral wedding collection, and wedding outfits:
- Delusionally Romantic: Curtis Cassell and the Label QUEERA
Of all the bridal labels, QUEERA hits home when we talk about gender-neutral labels. Before diving a little deeper into Cassell, let’s get this out here first, QUEERA’s work is made for the non-binary audience. With the prideful name of the label, the work of Curtis Cassell speaks volumes about what it means to be non-binary. Curtis Cassell, a designer from Ohio, found his passion for fashion when he was growing up. He learned how to sew from his mother, and the “old ladies of YouTube.” As Cassell studied in college, he began to work with his hands, and he got involved in the evolving fashion, thanks to the growing Gaga-esque style of fashion, which was all about wearable sculptures. The local drag community had begun to embody the 2007 Lady Gaga Era’s style of fashion, and Cassell began supplying the community with his work as well. That’s where his non-binary or gender-neutral style of fashion was born. Cassel’s designs usually take on the “Renaissance-feel”; his designs, in reality, are inspired by architecture. What’s more, with his ideas of giving the LGBTQ community more options for their wedding outfits, he decided to extend the aesthetics. He calls himself a delusional romantic, and when you look at his designs, the elaborate wedding tuxedos, and the wondrous bridal gowns, it is hard to miss the deep-seated romance in the designs. As for the plans for QUEERA’s future, Cassell states he wants to make dresses and outfits for the younger generation, more wedding gowns and suits, and everything in between. He has stated that most of his work is directed toward the LGBTQ community, “they’re important to me” he stated during an interview. QUEERA’s aim, mission, and goal, as the website puts it so beautifully, is “QUEERA is about fitting your body — not defining your gender.”
- Androgynous Fashion: Kirrin Finch and the Label Kirrin Finch
Gender-neutral wedding attire has much to do with the right fit, the right style, and the right budget. When it comes to Kirrin Finch, all of these checkboxes are ticked. The label is known for an extensive line of offerings, from accessories to tuxedos with everything custom-made directed towards the gender-fluid community! Owned by a couple, both accidental designers, the idea of creating a brand to cater to the needs of people like them, Kirrin Finch was born. In 2014, Kelly and Laura were planning to tie the knot. As the wedding planning began, the two realized that they don’t have many options for their wedding dresses. The bridal gowns they found were not their style. And the groom's tuxedos did not fit them right. In the end, the two decided to get married in custom-designed tuxedos from a local Brooklyn tailor. And that’s when the seed for a brand, Kirrin Finch, was born. As the two struggled to find a wedding outfit that suited their choice, style, looks, and idea of fashion, they understood many others feel the same way. And it was because of this reason alone, that the two began to work on designs and put their work out for the LGBTQ community. Kirrin Finch’s brand voice is made just for those who want to be gender-free!
Kirrin Finch is a sustainable brand and makes use of natural fabrics only for its designs. Picking up the pace during the pandemic, today Kirrin Finch is focused on putting out dressing options for the androgynous community. A look at the collections will make that aspect loud and clear. One of the best parts of this LGBTQ-couple-owned label is that the outfits fit just right! One of the building blocks of the brand and its voice is the fact that Kirrin Finch wants every person to feel like themselves, which means the men's-inspired attire on Kirrin Finch is perfect for tomboys and for just about anybody. No frilly-frills and no ill-fitted shirts or pants, Kirrin Finch wants every tomboy or gender-neutral woman to feel at home in their clothes! The wedding outfits designed by the brand are seamless. With many options, Kirrin Finch takes gender out of the equation, there’s something for everyone! Interestingly, most of Kirrin Finch’s clothes are inspired by a tomboyish character. An additional interesting informational nugget, the brand’s name is a blend of two literary characters, probably two of the most loved and celebrated tomboys in literature, "Georgina Kirrin'' from The Famous Five series and "Scout Finch" from To Kill A Mockingbird. The motto of the brand is to give back to the community, and the brand has been consistently achieving that.
- Something for Everyone: Christian Siriano and the Label Christian Siriano
Christian Siriano made a name for himself when he became the youngest winner of The Project Runway show. Siriano’s words, “As long as you look great and feel great, that’s all that matters,” make a lot of sense when you look at his work, his shows, and the runways. Siriano has been a prominent name in the industry for the past 10 years, and rightfully so. Above everything, beyond the LGBTQ and transgender community, the cornerstone of Christian’s brand is to give everyone, anyone, something to wear. Multiple times, he’s advocated that he finds it “strange” that people can’t find clothes in their size. His brand, as his name, takes on the mission to create, design, and give everyone a place to find something that not only fits them but feels like home to them. His fast and forward-thinking, such as men wearing delicate women’s dresses, and walking down the runway, is a fresh perspective on the fashion industry. If you remember Billy Porter’s appearance at the 91st Academy Awards and his lavishly elegant gown, then you are probably familiar with Christian’swork already without even knowing it. The fabulous gown that Porter donned for the 91st Academy Awards broke the internet, and for rightful reasons. Porter’s inspiration to wear the black gown stemmed from his desire to be stylish. As a gay man, who is also a person of color, he had felt his masculinity was under scrutiny. When interviewed, Billy explained that putting on the gown and pairing it with heels was the most masculine thing he had ever done. How Porter felt, after putting on his beautiful gown, and heels, is exactly what Christian intended to do with his designs. His gown designs and designs for wedding dresses stem from the aspect of giving everyone something to wear.
The bridal collection at Christian Siriano is a mix of many elements, colors, and styles and has a touch of fresh outlook. Siriano’s latest collection made ripples in the fashion world because of two things, one, the sizes in the collections go up to 28, and second, there’s something in here for everyone, from uber-feminine to androgynous styles. His 2021, the latest, collection, had a mix of dramatically feminine bridal gowns, voluminous bridal ball gowns, tulle dresses, bridal gowns with capes, and hybrid tuxedos! The latest collection picked up some of his designs from the 2017 collection, tweaked them with some new styles, and injected it with some colors, to add to the youthful spirit of the brand. Studying under big names like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, Siriano has been dubbed "the new king of old-school glamor" by Elle, and we can’t deny that. His work, ideas, and ideologies, especially when it comes to his collections are almost out-of-the-world-like statements. With many celebrities walking the red carpet, clad in his designs, Sirano continues to work on his bridal designs so that he can keep fulfilling his dream of letting everyone find clothes that fit them!
- Gender Fluidity at its Best: Wildfang Clothing
Wildfang Clothing, much like the other brands on our list, was born to bridge the gap between genders. The primary goal of the brand is to be gender-neutral. And much like other brand stories, Wildfang was born out of the inadequacy of the prevalent fashion trends to fit the needs of specific customers. The founder of Wildfang, Emma McIlroy, and one of her friends were walking around an Urban Outfitters store, looking for a cool blazer and graphic t-shirt. However, the ones in the women’s section were not the style they wanted, but the duo found exactly what they wanted in the men’s section. After the two friends made their purchases, the two realized that some silhouettes had been “gender-ized.” Thus, Wildfang was born. The sole reason was to make fashion and great styles accessible to all. The goal of Wildfang was to bridge the gap between genders and take gender out of the equation for good.
The sole goal, in the beginning, for the brand, was to “smash gender roles” and that’s what the brand has been doing. Making its clothes super easy to get into, the brand does not focus on which gender can wear them and put themselves in the attire. The goal of the brand is to create something that works for just about everyone, without searching for the right outfit for a task. Not only that, since its inception in 2013, the brand has continued to grow, from coveralls to a new partnership with Nordstrom to extend its gender-fluid collection for plus-sized consumers as well, the brand is committed to its goal. With its classic tagline, “Wear you, not someone else,” the wonderful suits that fit the type, style, and need of everyone are just perfect to get married in. With a wide collection of different outfits, the brand has all the tools you’ll need to create a statement wedding outfit for your special day.
- Custom it: The Tailory NYC
A gender-fluid or gender-neutral brand is exactly what Tailory NYC stands for! Non-conformist in every way possible, this brand is quite similar to Wildfang, with a slight difference. The collection is a combination of different elements and exceptionally bright colors, giving it a different twist. Non-conformist in approach to fashion, The Tailory NYC’s clothing line is more than a gender-neutral brand. Founded by Shao Yang, courtesy of her not being able to find where she feels at home in the fashion industry, Tailory NYC was born. The goal, at the time, was to make custom-made suits for customers. Yang was attracted to the idea of creating something specifically for a person and not a demographic, and she found her way to it through this brand.
After meeting Danielle Cooper, of the much-loved She’s a Gent, who was also riddled with the challenge of not finding exactly what she wanted to wear, Yang found her audience. This, this part right here, was when Yang told Cooper why she had started her brand, and that she aimed to tailor gender-fluid outfits. From here, Yang tapped into the massive audience, and with the help of Cooper, the band reached many others with the same challenges. Yang’s idea of gender-neutral outfits comes from the fact that she believes that traditional fashion and mainstream fashion saw a fashion for particular people, or a group of people, while it is not true. Tailory’s idea is to be ungendered, and is known to associate the designs as a heritage look with a fashion edge to fit everyone! With a custom line of suits to fit every occasion, the brand has an entire collection, titled, Androgyny: A Balancing Act to extend its gender-neutral stand. From solids to extravagantly designed fabrics, the brand holds nothing back when it comes to designs.
Although many LGBTQ designers are making huge waves in the fashion industry, all over the world, the list only has a few of those. No list will do justice to the designs and the work of art of these designers. Not being able to wear what you want can make anyone feel without an identity, much like without a face. We’re glad that so many brave people have been trying to bridge the gap and help everyone feel at home with what they like and what they wear. With that in mind, it is only natural that the designers would branch into bridal outfits. Your wedding day is the most important day of your life, and you will want your day to be everything that is close to you and is simply you. Looking at designers who come close to your idea of “self-expression” and finding the look and dress you’d want to embody will help you find the outfit that fits you.
