The Queer Touch in Bridal

This is bigger than just me, this is everyone’s fantasy," says Curtis Cassell, founder and CEO of QUEERA, a brand all about fitting your body and not defining your gender. Since its inception in 2020, the brand has been paving a new lane of inclusivity in the bridal space, and most recently seen on season 3 of Prime Video's "Making the Cut." Through custom, mix and match collections, with attention to detail like that of haute couture, QUEERA is creating a safe space in fashion.

While the brand launched in 2020, Curtis remembers having conversations of designing something special since 2015. Sharing one of the lightbulb moments for him was creating a button-up dress that could be worn several ways. "This is what it is about," Curtis shares, seeing that he could create clothing that can be worn on different silhouettes for all genders. In that discovery he was inspired to "create a closet" in which everyday people could wear different pieces and with a focus on versatility, "be able to express different sides of yourself at any moment."

With clients that represent the LGBTQ+ community and plus sizes, he had an idea to begin adding the QUEERA touch in the most classic category, bridal wear. "I want to celebrate both sides," he says adding, "bridal was a landscape that was very traditional, and a category Queer people find frustration in." As a brand that embraces both the masculine and feminine energies, for Curtis it is important that his designs are seen as more than just a trend. "For a long time, we were assimilating into these gendered garments," but with a mindset of, "if you don't have a seat at the table, build another table" – he thought this was the way to create gender empowerment.

For Curtis, his creative eye is influenced by his love for architecture and silhouettes found in old movies. Having studied graphic design at Columbia College Chicago and graduating with a degree in interior architecture from The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago. Despite now being based in Brooklyn, New York, his motivation is fueled by the people his design reaches. "I feel like a fairy godmother, and I've got all these Cinderella's," he says about feeling like his work is being seen and recognized. Including receiving emails from people expressing how they didn't even see themselves getting married until they saw his designs.

As the brand transcends bridal, at the core of its messaging and style is to empower all body types and gender identities for all special occasions.

@QUEERAWANG