As Drag Goes Mainstream, Queer Fashion Designers Reap Business Benefits

“It’s not just about us and looking great in the clothes — that’s just one part of the long journey of getting there,” Alaska Thunderfuck proclaimed on the most recent episode of “Race Chaser,” a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” recap podcast hosted by Thunderfuck and fellow “Drag Race” alum Willam. “It’s important to give credit where credit is due to our talented friends who make these garments and that’s their expression. It’s also their business.” “They’re just as much artists as we are,” Willam added, and it’s true. In the ten years since “RuPaul’s Drag Race” first premiered on the Logo network in 2009, a cottage industry has sprung into motion of drag adjacent businesses, from wigs to padding to BoobsForQueens™. But perhaps no industry has benefited from the blockbuster success of ‘Drag Race’ more than fashion — particularly a number of queer designers who have carved out a uniquely “by queer/for queer” business model that’s created a profitable and sustainable ecosystem that a decade ago did not exist at anywhere near this scale. Read more at Fashionista.