Emerging Visionary: Hudson McKinley-Uss
Hudson McKinley-Uss, a lifelong New Yorker and recent graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School, is an up-and-coming designer now in his first year at Parsons School of Design. His standout creation, the MetroCard Dress—crafted entirely from MTA MetroCards and paired with matching glasses and earrings—reflects his unique aesthetic of transforming everyday objects into bold fashion statements. Hudson has explored diverse materials like plastic bottles, ties, and denim, with three pieces showcased at Times Square Fashion Week, earning accolades from local officials. Passionate about the drag scene, he hopes to design garments for Drag Queens and performance artists. While his work subtly critiques consumerism and promotes individual creativity, it has already gained recognition, with the MetroCard Dress worn by social media influencer Griffin Maxwell Brooks and NYC nightlife columnist Linux.
What was the inspiration behind the imaginative MetroCard dress?
The inspiration behind the MetroCard dress was quite honestly the MetroCard, and everything it represents. The New York Subway system is something that I, and most New Yorkers, have quite the relationship with. My whole life I have gotten around the city gripping the sweaty poles and sitting on the orange and red-toned seats of the 1 train, listening to the roaming mariachi bands and watching the guys doing full on gymnastics on the railings inches from everyone’s face. The MetroCard is the perfect token of this grit-glamour hybrid that is a New York childhood and life. I think the dress has gotten so much attention and draws such positive reactions from people because it brings on object (and by extension an experience) into the light that is beautiful and wonderful, even though it doesn’t represent wealth, fame, and fortune— which is rarely done in fashion and in pop culture.
Is there a specific designer you look up to?
I don’t have a specific designer who I look up to, as I am usually inspired by the material or concept that I am working with, but the person who is my biggest inspiration on a deeper, personal level, is Sasha Velour, a drag queen and all-around artist, who I see as one of the greatest creatives of our time. Her winning lip-sync on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag race changed my life and launched my interest in becoming a drag queen myself, as well as a designer. When looking through her work from tours and her yearly drag show “Nightgowns,” I learned how to bring a concept to life.
I am also inspired by the work of many designers who design primarily for drag and performance artists, the most prominent of which being the Emmy-award-winning Diego Montoya, who has produced incredible work for many of the most prominent drag artists.
Do you see yourself potentially creating other accessories/clothing with items that might not particularly be for fashion?
Absolutely! I have already experimented with items like plastic bottles, men’s ties, to-go bags, and receipts, and I want to do much more. The world is full of these so-called “found objects,” which are full of symbolism and meaning, and they are just waiting to be made into art.
Is there a specific message being conveyed with this dress?
A message that I would like to convey is one of sustainability and inclusivity, but not in the way that is often discussed. When we preach for better practices in the fashion industry, it often feels that we are just begging to the fast fashion corporations who got us into this mess in the first place, but corporations fundamentally only have one thing in mind: money. If we want real change to take place, we need to democratize fashion and take the matter into our own hands- literally. I encourage everyone to pick up a sewing kit, or a glue gun, or if you have one, a sewing machine, and make something amazing. In my opinion that is what fashion is about, not wealth, not status, not how skinny or curvy you are, but how much of that amazement you can come up with.
