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Book Launch: The Power of Style – Panel & Drag Performance
April 30, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Style is not just the clothes on our back—it is self-expression, representation, and transformation. Join NYC-based Word Up Community Bookshop, Indigenous-owned Massy Books, and Annick Press in celebrating The Power of Style with a panel of the book’s contributors—Christian Allaire, Jamie Okuma, Henry Bae and Shaobo Han, and Halima Hossinzehi, moderated by Korina Emmerich—followed by a drag performance by the great Ilona Verley.
*Registration Mandatory* Register here: https://bit.ly/3e9DyQY
Purchase the book from Indigenous owned Massy Books: https://bit.ly/3eb6NmE
As a fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen, Christian Allaire rarely saw anyone that looked like him in the magazines or movies he looked to for inspiration. Now the Fashion and Style Writer for Vogue, he is working to change that–because clothes are never just clothes. Men’s heels are a statement of pride in the face of LGTBQ+ discrimination, while ribbon shirts honor Indigenous ancestors and keep culture alive. Allaire takes the reader through boldly designed chapters to discuss additional topics like cosplay, make up, hijabs, and hair, probing the connections between fashion and history, culture, politics, and social justice.
Korina Emmerich is the founder of EMME Studio, a small, ethical, slow fashion brand located on occupied Canarsee territories in greater Lenapehoking. Her work combines expression, art, and culture with a strong focus on social and climate justice. Her colorful work is known to reflect her patrilineal Puyallup tribal heritage.
Christian Allaire is an Indigenous (Ojibwe) writer from Nipissing First Nation. He is the author of The Power of Style, his debut book. Currently, he is also the Fashion & Style Writer for Vogue.
Jamie Okuma is an Indigenous (Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock) Fashion Artist based on the La Jolla Indian reservation in Pauma Valley, California.
Henry Bae and Shaobo Han are the co-founders of SYRO, a footwear brand based in Brooklyn, New York that creates “femme footwear for everyone.”
Ilona Verley is an Indigenous (Nlaka’pamu) Two-Spirit drag queen and makeup artist. She appeared on Canada’s Drag Race, the first Indigenous queen to do so.
Halima Hossinzehi is a Baloch-Canadian student who is currently pursuing a master’s in neuromechanics at the Ontario Tech University.