Vancouver-based Writer Lydia Okello Shares Their Gender Journey
Growing up in a conservative family, Lydia Okello favoured frou-frou frocks. But then their gender journey began.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/wellness/identity/lydia-okello-gender-journey/&title=Vancouver-based Writer Lydia Okello on the Future of Fashion They Would Like to See&picture=https://cdn.fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/VOILA_identityandstyle_02_0920_web-800x600.jpg&description="Oh. I guess I wear pants now....” It’s a seemingly unremarkable statement for someone to have made in 2016. But the notion was a major turning point that year for both my wardrobe choices and my gender identity. As an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person who grew up adoring frills, floofs and fanciful garments, I would never have been seen in a pair of pants, let alone jeans.
Looking back, it’s easy to see how my history shaped a narrowed view of how to clothe myself. I’m a first-generation Canadian-Ugandan who was raised in a conservative evangelical Christian home. Gender roles were rigid and in plain sight, and my penchant for frocks played right into my assignment as a young woman.
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I often looked to 1990s pop culture for fashion inspiration. Utterly infatuated with sitcom protagonists, I pined after the clothes I saw on Family Matters, Saved by the Bell and Full House. D.J. Tanner’s tiered skirts always caught my eye; I also admired Uncle Jesse’s wardrobe but didn’t think too much of it. Watching Grease in the second grade, I was as much in love with Danny’s iconic greaser looks as I was with Sandy’s sock hop attire—two sides of expression, but at that time, I only consciously tended to one.
I awkwardly navigated my teen years in lace-trimmed tank tops and vintage skirts, questionably styled. I still held tightly to the perception that I needed to sustain “femininity”—though what feminine meant was a moving target.
As an adolescent bibliophile with lots of spare time in the summer, I pored over books about the golden age of Hollywood and the fashion industry’s heady past. I spent hours thumbing through reference size tomes of Christian Dior’s New Look and the history of Vogue and was entranced by Ken Russell’s images of postwar Teddy Girls; it was a foray into the fundamentals of fashion. I didn’t realize it then, but I was building a knowledge base that would eventually inform my career and my style.
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I didn’t come out as a queer person until I was 25. I was scared, nervous and trepidatious. I wasn’t sure if I was even allowed to be queer. My limited perceptions of LGBTQ+ folks—who weren’t gay men—were based on gruff stereotypes, caricatures of people. As I came to accept my pansexuality, I loosened my grip on my high-femme personhood—for me, the two were intertwined. My internalized homophobia and transphobia meant that I had a very specific script of who I was permitted to be. Coming out allotted some breathing room in ways I didn’t expect. There was self-exploration of what it meant to be me: to be queer, to be Black. My plus size body no longer meant I had to be femme—it was something I could choose instead of be assigned to.
As I became more explorative in my identity, including being non-binary, I found myself seeking new inspirations and icons. Writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon, whose style is composed of a mix of saturated hues and who rebels against gender “norms” in an unapologetic and fully realized vision of selfhood, and Héloïse Letissier, who fronts the band Christine and The Queens, are just a few of the folks who helped me unpack what I had previously considered to be limitations.
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Vaid-Menon (and other nonconforming and non-binary people) has taught me to continually search outside the white gaze of gender expression as Black people, Indigenous people and other people of colour have pre-colonial histories of varied genders; I come back to that often. And Letissier reminds me that style—even extravagant or ostentatious style—is not limited to traditional concepts of femininity. She sports puff sleeves and ostentatious trousers, but neither fall into the territory of “feminine wiles.” Vintage infused and never demure, Letissier’s clothing choices hold space for frivolity—a fanciful nature that isn’t just reserved for ball gowns.
Today, I often tag my outfits on social media with #tombabe—a designation somewhere between “tomboy” and “babely.” I do it to make a statement that androgyny doesn’t have to be monochrome baggy pieces; it can mean a boldly hued sundress and badass boots. It can mean anything you damn well please. And that’s the future of fashion I want to see.
This story originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of FASHION Canada. Pick up your copy on newsstands now, via Apple News + or the FASHION app. ){kind=link}
“Oh. I guess I wear pants now….” It’s a seemingly unremarkable statement for someone to have made in 2016. But the notion was a major turning point that year for both my wardrobe choices and my gender identity. As an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person who grew up adoring frills, floofs and fanciful garments, I would never have been seen in a pair of pants, let alone jeans.
Looking back, it’s easy to see how my history shaped a narrowed view of how to clothe myself. I’m a first-generation Canadian-Ugandan who was raised in a conservative evangelical Christian home. Gender roles were rigid and in plain sight, and my penchant for frocks played right into my assignment as
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/style/meet-the-founders-of-the-black-owned-e-commerce-platform-yard-parish/&title=Meet the Founders of Yard + Parish, an E-commerce Platform Focused on Black-Owned Brands&picture=https://cdn.fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Yard-Parish-Founders-e1597333032794-800x417.png&description=“We’ve always been dreaming together,” says Alesha Bailey about her partnership with Samantha Newell and the creation of their one-year-old e-commerce site, Yard + Parish. The platform focuses on promoting the work of Black creatives, and features products from garments and accessories for all genders to décor and beauty.
The inspiration for the site was “born out of the frustration in not finding products that were right for us,” Bailey says. The duo hail from the suburban locale of Brampton, Ont., and Bailey says that "although we lived in a diverse community, the local stores never considered us in terms of beauty and fashion, and even food. We’ve always felt like we had to go out of our way."
Newell recalls that their eyes were opened to the world of possibility in the fashion industry after they both moved to the U.K. for post-secondary school–Newell for fashion pattern cutting, and Bailey for architecture. “London was an eye-opening experience in terms of what’s out there,” she says, adding that after completing her initial pattern cutting program that she then invested her time in studying the business side of style.
Photography courtesy of Yard + Parish.
Coupled with their education, Newell notes that mentorship has played a part in their business's impressive growth. “We wouldn’t have been able to make as much progress as we have in such a short time if it wasn’t for us being comfortable asking questions to more experienced professionals, family and friends,” she says. “As busy as [professionals] are, don’t assume they’re too busy for you. Knowing that you’re not alone is important.”
After conceiving of the idea for Yard + Parish, Bailey and Newell scoured the internet for Black-owned brands that fit their ethos of 'discovering the diaspora'. One novel element of the website is its Find Your Nude component, which breaks down skin tone options for customers, and also provides a Colour Match Concierge service for selecting products like Ownbrown's undergarments and hosiery by Sheer Chemistry. "Now that we’re transitioning away from that idea of 'nude' being a single colour, we wanted to make it a lot easier to find your specific match," says Newell. "Shopping online for undergarments is difficult enough as it is."
In addition to intimates, you'll discover an array of vibrant scarves by Life Liveth, jewellery by Relic London, and handbags by De Lovet. “We were mostly looking for things we wanted to try and wear,” says Bailey. “Products that spoke to our Caribbean heritage, that are relaxed and laid back but also luxurious.”
Newell notes, though, that through Yard + Parish, they’re committed to redefining what luxury means. “It’s important for us for the store to be accessible,” she says. “It’s not about how expensive something is, it’s about how well-made and well-thought out it was.” For example, on the site you’ll find items from Toronto-based organic skincare brand Blumseed and Bohten eyewear, which uses reclaimed wood in its designs.
Photography courtesy of Yard + Parish.
You’ll also find new items that the duo devised to mark their first year in business. The Island Tings capsule features two t-shirt styles, and shares a name with the Instagram Live series the brand launched earlier this year. “We wanted to commemorate our anniversary in true island fashion,” says Bailey, noting that the plantain image found on one of the shirts was created by Toronto-based graphic designer and photographer Emilie Croning. “It’s a very Caribbean and African-unifying fruit, and it’s a great heritage piece to bring the diaspora community together.”
Bailey and Newell say they aspire to bring their community together in a physical way one day, with plans for a pop-up concept brewing–but on the back-burner for the time being, of course. “When and where is a really good question,” says Newell, pointing to the set-back that COVID-19 has placed on this idea.
For now, they’ll continue to connect with customers online. “It’s really nice to be able to reply back to them ourselves and really show them how passionate we are about our products,” Bailey says, with Newell adding that, “It’s comforting to know that what we’re doing is something that our community needs and enjoys. Even when everything is chaotic, people can rely on us.”
Photography courtesy of Yard + Parish.
You don’t need to look further than Yard + Parish’s Self-Care Sampler Set 2.0, which launched last week, to understand how much the founders care about their fans. “They were curated to make it easy to take care of yourself,” Newell says of the Sets, which include wares from Tanaka, the Afro Hair & Skin Co., and Dew Woods.
Indeed, self-care has been top of mind for the pair in the last few months. “As entrepreneurs and as Black women, it’s tough to take the time out,” says Bailey. With the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, the pair have experienced an uptick in their sales–one that has illuminated the potential for Black-owned businesses to cultivate their space in the design landscape. “The most important thing is putting thought and consideration into the products that you buy,” says Bailey, adding that consumers also have to "acknowledge that [being] a Black-owned brand doesn’t necessarily mean it’s only for Black people.”
“Now that we’ve seen what can be, there’s no going back to the way things were,” Newell says about ensuring this interest is sustained. “I encourage everyone who was supporting in the last few months to know that it doesn’t stop there. We’re so grateful for the attention that’s been received recently and want to make sure it continues.”){kind=link}
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/style/vistaprint-artist-face-masks/&title=This New Collection of Face Masks Was Designed by 4 World-Renowned Artists&picture=https://cdn.fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Geoff-McFetridge-All-of-Us_-multi-Front-800x535.png&description=E-commerce company Vistaprint has just launched its first artist capsule collection of face masks, created in an effort to normalize mask-wearing while still allowing room for creative expression.
"I have always been comfortable wearing a mask," says Canadian illustrator/designer Geoff McFetridge, one of the four artists chosen for this collaboration, adding however, "I feel for those who are uncomfortable wearing a mask for whatever reason. Artists and designers can, hopefully, develop options for people. Ideally these designs make some people more comfortable and connected to an object they are putting on their face."
In addition to McFetridge, the other globally renowned artists tapped for this collaboration are FUTURA2000 from New York, Jen Stark from Miami, and Parra from Amsterdam. The face masks designed by each artist reflect their own unique style and creative influences.
McFetridge created two different designs: one is titled 'Us From a Distance' and features a socially distanced group of people. "I have done a number of works over the years that have a “crowd” theme," explains McFetridge in a press release. "With the crowd images I draw I am interested in how an image can connect with how we interact, how we see ourselves in the world. A landscape of individuals. In this case... keeping six feet of distance."
Image courtesy Geoff McFetridge/Vistaprint
His second design, titled 'All of Us,' features multiple hands (in both monochrome and multicolour options). "Hands are this very basic image; in this image I treat them as you might see camouflage or paint strokes. The hands are less individuals than they are pieces of a whole. Each hand holds the other up like fibres woven together."
The graphic black-and-white masks from FUTURA LABORATORIES, a design company and lifestyle brand created by artist FUTURA2000, were designed to be "benign," according to the artist. "In this instance, I almost feel like the graphics take a back seat to the practical function of wearing a mask." In collaboration with FUTURA LABORATORIES, Vistaprint will donate a portion of the proceeds of the mask sales to Free Arts NYC.
Image courtesy Futura Laboratories/Vistaprint
Meanwhile, American artist Jen Stark created vibrant designs "inspired by elements found in the natural world, such as plant growth, microorganisms, and sacred geometry," adding that she wanted the patterns "to create a sense of movement and have an optical illusion type feel."
Image courtesy Jen Stark/Vistaprint
Lastly, Dutch artist Parra, known for his saturated colours and post-Pop imagery, designed masks illustrated with birds flying through the sky. His striking design comes in two colourways: one a minimal black-and-white, the other an eye-catching palette of pinks and blues.
Image courtesy Parra/Vistaprint
The masks are washable and reusable, with adjustable ear straps and a replaceable filter. The adult masks retail for CAD 33 while children's masks retail for CAD 22. Order yours here.){kind=link}