Transition of Style

Queer leaders taking space in the fashion industry.

The world of queer fashion, brought to you. With exclusive stories from LGBTQ+ CEOs, queer designers, creators, fashion icons, and more – Transition of Style highlights our community which has long been taken for granted. If you’re a queer fashion entrepreneur or enthusiast wanting to know the history-makers of today, this is the podcast for you.

Queer business leader and fashion expert Rocio Sanchez stands fashionably and smiling candidly while looking away from the camera.

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Uncovering the fashion LGBTQ+ people really want

At Transition of Style, you can gain direct insights from LGBTQ+ models, designers, business owners, and style icons who are making waves in the fashion industry now.



By giving credit to a community that has helped make the fashion industry into what it is today, we’re pivoting the narrative from “the first and only” queer and POC on the runway or on the magazine cover, to “we’ve been here all along.”



We’re putting our own faces proudly on the trends that we’ve set for decades. It’s time for a podcast to pull back the curtains for the fashion business trendsetters of tomorrow.

Latest episodes from the queer fashion podcast

Season

1

Episode

9

Learn about the journey of building a groundbreaking gender-free brand with Rob Smith, the visionary CEO behind The Phluid Project. In this episode, Rob discusses the expansion of Phluid into a wide array of retail stores nationwide, the development of gender-affirming products, and his ambitious goals for the Phluid Foundation. He delves into the challenges and triumphs of advocating for marginalized communities, particularly trans women of color and homeless queer youth.

Season

1

Episode

8

NiK Kacy, the visionary behind NiK Kacy Footwear, is revolutionizing the queer fashion scene. Joining us on Transition of Style, NiK discusses their groundbreaking journey in the industry, highlighting the unique challenges and triumphs as a queer entrepreneur. This episode delves into NiK’s experiences from navigating microaggressions to pioneering LGBTQ-focused fashion initiatives like Equality Fashion Week in LA.

Season

1

Episode

7

STEEZO, a musician and trailblazer in queer fashion and a burgeoning entrepreneur, has rapidly grown a dedicated following online, captivating audiences with his bold fashion choices. STEEZO joins “Transition of Style” to share his journey in the fashion world, intertwining his personal coming out story as a queer individual with his ascent in the fashion industry. As STEEZO recounts his experiences, he offers invaluable insights for queer professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs in the fashion sector.

Season

1

Episode

6

Nicole Zizi, founder of NICOLE ZÏZI STUDIO and NICOLE ZÏZI HOME – a proud Black queer entrepreneur of Haitian descent – graces Transition of Style in this discussion about sustainability and gender-neutral designs as a driving force in her brand’s development. In this episode, she shares her journey, the role of trends in timing market entry, and the significance of brand values in product expansion.

Season

1

Episode

5

Abby Luke has amassed 600,000 followers on TikTok over the past three years, and she’s learned a lot in the process. Abby joins Transition of Style to discuss her journey on TikTok, her separate but overlapping coming out journey as a bisexual woman, and the challenges of content creation. As Abby shares her experiences and insights, several key points emerge that every digital content creator should take note of.

Season

1

Episode

4

Jay Jaxon was the first African-American haute couturier, having worked in the prestigious luxury houses of Yves Saint Laurent aand Christian Dior in the 1960s and 70s. This episode’s guest Rachel Fenderson uncovered Jaxon’s work while researching as a student in Parsons Paris’ Fashion Studies program. She has since organized exhibitions at the Queens Public Library and Queens Historical Society about Jaxon’s work.

About your host, Rocio Sanchez

Growing up in New York City as a queer kid, I was surrounded by the most fashionable people. I also grew up following every fashion trend on every social media, and that was a recipe for self-loathing. I found myself through fashion, first having a blast exploring hyper-femininity, until I realized there was more for me to explore — personally, aesthetically, and even academically.

Fast forward a few years later in Paris, writing a master’s thesis on queer fashion, and researching LGBT communities from Brighton to Chicago and San Francisco. How LGBT people express themselves through style is eternally inventive, it’s something that can be appreciated in so many ways, I didn’t need to travel across continents to see that.

After graduating (MA Fashion Studies) and starting my digital marketing agency, it became clear to me that our community’s inventiveness doesn’t stop at aesthetics. It travels through language and arts and even business. This podcast highlights those contributions that I barely saw acknowledged in my 10+ years working in and studying the fashion industry.

Themes

Fashion business insights

For the future queer entrepreneurs in the fashion industry who want a look behind the curtain.
Find out what our guests — CEOs, designers, and creatives — have to say about taking the industry on your own.

Personal stories from queer entrepreneurs

What were the stories behind the top-performing gender-free brands? Maybe you’ll find that you can relate to these queer business leaders in more ways than one, all you have to do is tune in.

Ethical questions

LGBT voices and voices of color have long led the charge of anti-capitalism. How do these leaders fit the needs of their LGBT+ customers while also making sure to balance their own values of anti-exploitation and a balanced life?

Testimonials

“I liked Rocio’s unique network in the queer business and fashion space. It was a great experience, thanks Rocio!”

Jakub Chour | HER app | PRAGUE, CZS

Stud Model Project founder has worked with Rocio Sanchez and touts their expertise.

“Rocio is very consistent. They’re very detail-oriented. They definitely do their research before they put any information out. So anything that has their name to it, I think, is quality work.”

TERESA MORCHO | STUD MODEL PROJECT | ATL, GA