Trans Teens Reveal What Fashion Means To Them

Fashion is one of the most important ways people express themselves, and self-expression is especially important to people who are trying to figure out how they identify. In a recent video, Mashable interviewed transgender teens about what fashion means to them and how their definition of fashion has changed.

The teens filmed in the video attended the Nicopanda show during September's New York Fashion Week. According to Huffington Post, Nicola Formichetti, the Nicopanda designer, showcased gender binary-defying outfits in his Spring/Summer 2016 show. In general, this year's NYFW focused more on body positivity and inclusivity than previous years, and it's definitely a step in the right direction. This year's Fashion Week also promoted gender inclusivity. In a short documentary Bustle created with model Rain Dove, she discussed her experience as a gender capitalist who promotes gender fluidity in the fashion realm. Mashable expanded on that topic in a video interview featuring seven transgender teens, two of whom talked about their views of fashion.

"Fashion growing up generally seemed to be sort of a superficial thing to me," said Katherine Chambers, a 19-year-old trans woman. "All I used to focus on was things like trying to be more feminine, because that's what I identified as."

Chambers also discussed how her views of fashion have changed as her transition has progressed. "At this point in my transition, fashion is no longer a superficial box to me," she said. "It's a way for me to identify who I am as I want and how I'm feeling each and every day."

Another teen, Morgan Sullivan, was also interviewed for the video.

"The way I style myself and what I wear every day is so important to me — it can make or break my day honestly," Sullivan said.

The video also featured scenes of the group of teens exploring the streets of New York and close-ups of teens who were not interviewed for the website.

Kudos to Mashable for drawing attention to these teens and to NYFW for promoting more inclusivity than in the past. To watch the full video, click here.

Don't forget to watch our video about how we followed Rain Dove around NYFW.

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