How Vivek Shraya Uses Beauty & Fashion to Explore Identity

Whilst Pride Thirty day period is a great time of 12 months to glance back on how much the LGBTQ+ group has arrive and to celebrate all of the achievements of queer and trans pioneers of generations earlier, there is nonetheless a great deal of essential work that demands to be accomplished when it comes to equality and illustration — get the job done that extends outside of just a single month out of the year.

Well known and beloved retailer Nordstrom understands this importance and is operating in the course of the full 12 months — not just Pleasure Month — to both equally emphasize LGBTQ-owned/-launched manufacturers and to carry solutions that profit and give back again to queer folks!

Looking at that the LGBTQ+ neighborhood has our have set of specific requirements, carrying products that are created by and for us is key, and group users, like musician, writer, professor, and visual artist Vivek Shraya, who retailers for products at Nordstrom to enable her specific herself and her identity.

Out acquired the prospect to catch up with Shraya to talk about her vogue and magnificence inspo, the longtime determination from Nordstrom to the LGBTQ+ group, feeling noticed, and so much extra! And to study extra, pay a visit to Nordstrom.com/Diversity!

Photo Credit: Ariane Laezza

Out: Could you explain your connection with trend and magnificence and how major of a portion it plays in your in general artistry and self-picture?

Vivek Shraya: I genuinely see manner as just one more variety of creativity and yet another sort of inventive expression. I see it as an extension of the work that I’m carrying out. I you should not see it as separate. It’s not like here’s vogue and this is artwork. To me, those worlds go hand-in-hand, and frequently I use trend to additional the intention of no matter what task I am doing work on or placing out into the planet. For occasion, I just place out a book termed People today Change before this yr and the aesthetics that we chose are really a great deal tied to seeking to additional the information in the e book. So yeah, people points, to me, go hand-in-hand.

In your individual words and phrases, how would you describe your design and style/aesthetic?

My makeup artist usually jokes that I am a “much more is additional” human being, which is amusing because I see myself as a minimalist. So, I assume that I are inclined to be drawn to coloration a whole lot. I consider coming from an Indian history, it seriously is about excess and color and components. But yeah, I’m trying to summarize how else I would describe my model. I signify, I consider I am a cross involving Sporty Spice and Posh Spice.

I adore that. And according to the TikTok girlies and the younger young children, maximalism is in.

That’s excellent to know. Yeah, it’s just amusing due to the fact I’m generally like, ‘Oh I’m these kinds of a minimalist,’ and my make-up artist is like, ‘No you might be not. I never think you know what minimalism is.’ So, yeah.

How prolonged have you been cultivating your very own distinctive sense of fashion and natural beauty?

I assume that one particular of the unusual byproducts of homophobia, which for me, I would say started off in all probability prior to I even recognized it. But when I kind of title it or when I say that it became most apparent to me was grade seven. A person of the peculiar byproducts of overt homophobia is when an individual tells you there’s some thing improper with who you are and how you seem. I consider one particular of the gorgeous points that queer people today do is we usually subvert that form of focus and hatred or reclaim that kind of hatred and notice by using vogue as a way practically to stand out even more. It can be a unusual point, it really is like I’ve accomplished the two in my twenties, I was extremely significantly about like hiding who I was. But I feel my initially response to homophobia was to really push myself out even more and to refine my perception of individuality in a way that was even much more different.

To response your dilemma, I sense like I’ve been cultivating my feeling of fashion considering that all-around the same time because quality seven, given that age 12. I assume aspect of it is that it can be also like a bizarre backfiring simply because I really don’t know what I was imagining. What I was attempting to do was fit in and however, for the reason that I have a queer sensibility, my concepts of fitting in have constantly been outside the house the box. When the young children were sporting their Club Monaco sweatshirts within out, I was like, ‘Oh great, I’ll dress in my Club Monaco sweatshirt inside out and my sweatpants inside out,’ which was much too substantially. (Right here we go, extra is additional.) But I consider any of my attempts to healthy in had been normally overboard in a way simply because I usually wanted to set my personal slant on it. I usually desired to set my very own touch on it. And I believe that’s the detail that feels to me is that refusal to be like absolutely everyone else, to do points like everyone else. Even when I was attempting to conform, I was even now pushing beyond that. And I believe that, yeah, I would truly say which is a queer sensibility. 

Who or what are your elegance and fashion inspirations?

Expanding up, undoubtedly, my mother was my quantity just one and initial splendor inspiration. I truly generally thought she would glance like a Bollywood actress and I just observed her so gorgeous and undoubtedly was motivated by her aesthetic. Even now when I glimpse at images of her in her twenties and thirties, she normally shade matched her bindi to her outfit. And I do that far too and I am really guaranteed that I received that from her. Now I believe, definitely, modern references. And then I feel in my teens, I would say Madonna was possibly like a truly massive one for me. I know that she’s not great with the children any longer, but for me, in the ’90s, Madonna was a seriously, truly huge impact on me.

Brad Pitt was also a really substantial impact on me. Aesthetically, there was something about the point that he was continually evolving his type, which I did not really feel like we noticed with a good deal of male actors in Hollywood. In the ’90s, he went from lengthy hair to small hair and was frequently just transforming his look, which I assume was really the regular evolution of his model was really exciting to me. Now obviously as an grownup, Beyoncé, Rihanna, these are huge, massive influences for all of us. Definitely, for me.

Julia Roberts has been a hair reference not too long ago. I you should not know why it really is a whole lot of ’90s. I indicate, for me the ’90s are just…it really is this sort of a nostalgic time for me due to the fact I grew up through that time, but the ’90s are also nonetheless in in a distinct way. I know we are slowly and gradually moving to the 2000’s, but I am even now sort of have my head in the ’90s. I often reference the ’90s, so like Julia Roberts is someone lately, or ’90s supermodels, like that complete vibe. The supermodel period, these are frequently illustrations or photos that I will have on my mood boards for assignments.

Nordstrom is dedicated to supporting and offering back to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood by highlighting LGBTQ-owned and launched brands, as effectively as products and solutions that give back again to the group. They have so many goods that give again and assistance the queer group, like Be Happy by BP, The Phluid Venture, Vans, and Mentor, just to name a several. And some of their partners incorporate the Hetrick Martin Institute, Trans Lifeline, HRC, and the Ali Forney Center. And they are not just doing this for Satisfaction Month, but in the course of the relaxation of 2022 as nicely. As a member of the group, how does it feel to know a corporation like Nordstrom is supporting us in this way?

That is often definitely fantastic to listen to. I consider it is really essential for us to be acknowledged as not just a standard customer market place, but the reality that we have quite distinct consumer wants. And it truly is excellent to listen to that Nordstrom is fully commited to supporting us in that arena. For me, 1 of the issues that has really stood out about Nordstrom is truly about sneakers and shoe size. As a trans girl, I never have cis toes dimensions. So, currently being ready to go on the Nordstrom web-site and swiftly and accessibly research for a shoe dimensions that matches me and have a whole lot of possibilities basically, simply because a ton of shoes have a tendency to prevent at a certain sizing instead of 9 shoes in my dimensions in a section shop, that to me feels like a kind of knowing and not just in my shoe measurement, but truly larger shoe measurements than 9, which is also like genuinely great to see.

Nordstrom knowing that we have certain desires that are not just the normal consumer or the regular straight cis consumer, I imagine to me that’s what feels actually heartening.

What are some of your most loved Nordstrom-carried brand names that have served you to specific yourself vogue and beauty-smart and to flip out some cute looks?

I believe the biggest a person for me is really MAC goods. I’m a substantial lover of MAC and MAC makeup and Nordstrom had some unique products and solutions that I haven’t been ready to find at a common MAC retail store. So, that is wonderful. The other products that I go to Nordstrom for contain other brand names like Clinique. I’ve been doing the three-move method with Clinique due to the fact I was in my mid-twenties, so, I usually discover they have a fantastic choice of Clinique products and solutions as perfectly.

Photograph Credit rating: Ariane Laezza

Nordstrom is also committing itself to range by highlighting not only LGBTQ+ manufacturers, but brands from persons of color, which is important, primarily in the magnificence and style space since it assists people today come to feel seen and that they belong. Do you don’t forget the initially time you felt observed in people areas, or the very first time you ever felt like you noticed by yourself in media? How did it make you experience?

I think the to start with time I truly felt like I saw myself represented in media, in a unique way, was in a movie referred to as The Namesake with Kal Penn, who at the time failed to overtly recognize as queer. It was one particular of the to start with periods that I was capable to share a narrative about a initially-era immigrant relatives with my mother as properly, seeing one thing like that on the big monitor about what it implies to increase a Brown kid in North The us and possessing immigrant mom and dad. I consider a further massive 1 for me was the “Undesirable Women” video by M.I.A. She’s like pulling from like Arabic lifestyle, Muslim tradition in that video, which obviously just isn’t my society, so to communicate. But I think just observing a person staying badass and Brown in a songs video clip in a particular way, which itself felt pretty inspiring that video, just the design and the aesthetic in it, the way that she blended kind of the traditional things with form of modern elements of model and trend, like that was just it for me, it just was extremely exciting.

I believe also me being invited into these areas as a design. I’ve been executing some brand operate for MAC and Pantene, and so, as a trans person of colour becoming asked to do that variety of function and particularly design in adverts and strategies feels definitely fascinating. And also challenging to visualize. It has felt truly unanticipated to be introduced into those people areas, primarily not even just as a trans girl, but also as another person in my forties. I believe the manner and splendor field tends to be so youth-centric, and as a person who’s plainly not a youth, it feels definitely relocating and surprising to be introduced into those spaces.

What is actually some assistance you can give to other people who are seeking to figure out what their particular style is? How they ought to go about obtaining it and figuring out what works for them or what they like?

I imagine it is truly about experimentation and I think the willingness to be not awesome, the willingness to be not stylish. Mainly the willingness to make manner fake pas. I believe about some of the decisions that I applied to make as a teen. I at the time slice out an onion bag and decided it was a hat. I as soon as threaded a winter scarf via my belt loops. I manufactured a ton of bad fashion choices, but I actually celebrate them simply because I believe and in some ways, I miss that electricity simply because I love that willingness to test simply because I assume so frequently with style, it is about hoping and experimenting and engage in. In some cases in the look for for coolness, we forget about that really, it really should feel entertaining, it really should really feel joyful. If a little something will make you truly feel great, rock it and have enjoyment with it. Your pals could chortle at you the way my pals laughed at me. But at the conclude of the working day, I do not believe superior type will come from not experimenting, not enjoying, not attempting. Does that make sense?

Yeah. I truly feel like some trends, they commence out as experiments and entertaining, foolish factors. But then they turn into even bigger issues and then it gets to be, ‘Oh, that basically seems superior.’ So you acquired to check out.

Yeah! The bucket hat is a excellent illustration. The bucket hat to me is the silliest accent and yet, the bucket hat has designed these a big comeback. I see it on folks all the time. I really don’t believe you’ll ever see me in a bucket hat, but I can respect it for what it is now in a way that when I employed to see photographs from like the ’80s and ’90s with bucket hats, I was like, ‘Burn it down.’

I believe part of it’s also that you will find this thought that you have to be self-confident in your design and style. Just be self-confident, just rock it, but it’s also okay not to be self-assured. I think that we dwell in a environment the place we, as queer people today, are underneath a sure kind of scrutiny and expertise all types of harassment and hatred. So, I imagine that occasionally self confidence is not a thing that you can just access. So I’m all for faking it. I think faking it is a very good issue. If you are unable to faucet into that self-confidence, shake it.

I imagine the other matter that is been seriously handy for me in conditions of vogue has just been diversifying my feed by social media, remaining equipped to just comply with other trans folks I admire, abide by other queer folks I admire. That does enable me construct a variety of self-assurance, by on the lookout at how other people are pushing by themselves out in the earth and presenting on their own in the environment. These are some of the matters that come to mind.

Picture Credit score: Ariane Laezza

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