No Sesso's Pierre Davis Is "Here With Everyone"
The designer launches a collaboration with GARAGE, with part of the profits going to support The National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition.
As the world around us continues to unfurl in unimaginable ways, even the smallest opportunities for rest, reflection, and imagination have been a balm. No Sesso lead designer Pierre Davis is letting it soak in, taking advantage of the expanded room for creativity and time to reinvest in projects she’s been putting off. Known for its fluid approach to gendered dressing—No Sesso translates to “no gender” in Italian—her brand is built on an openness to blurred binaries, new rules, and a focus on community care.
This approach was a perfect fit for GARAGE’s new initiative aiming to center and support Black creatives while also directing funds to the social justice work they are most passionate about. We have partnered with the designer to commission a new collection of T-shirts, profits of which will go to support The National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition and No Sesso.
We spoke to Pierre about the collection, how she’s managing our new way of life, and her hopes for a new status quo within the fashion industry.
How, as a creative, have you been processing this new reality of limited boundaries?
How have I been processing my time during quarantine? I've been working at a slower pace instead of the really busy fast pace that I'm used to.
How have you been staying connected to your community?
I feel like as far as community goes, and the people that I talk to often, we've been all checking in on each other a lot more. It's very important. For example, people in our community that don't have the best living situation [have more difficulty in] quarantine. And also passing grants [and other support of that type] along so that people have the connections that they need.
Tell us about the artwork you designed.
[At the time] I was thinking about the pandemic. All of this is something that's just not happening in one part of the world. I wanted to make something that everyone could relate to, a "we're here with everyone" kind of feel to the vibe.
What are some of the issues you’re most concerned about?
Number one, it’s people having the resources that they need. This pandemic has shown that a lot of people don't have the resources that they need. In my community, there's a lot of trans women that don't have things that they need to survive. It's just something that needs to be worked on as a whole.
What do you think the future holds for the fashion industry?
The fashion industry needs to be more accountable and more aware of taking away from communities, and instead include the communities that inspire high end design. My hopes are that creatives are able to move with more grace, and not so much with fast fashion.
Do you have any advice for young people with marginalized voices looking to make an impact in their communities?
I would say to keep going, and show everyone who says no to you that YOU can still do it without them.
At a time when so many are working to reimagine the structures upholding society, what are your hopes for better futures?
My hopes for the future world is that Breonna Taylor’s murderers are arrested. As well as more safety for our Black trans brothers and sisters.
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- no sesso
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