Fashion Week Show at the Beach

On Sundays, about an hour’s drive away (or an hour’s ferry ride, past the Statue of Liberty) from the usual New York Fashion Week, there’s a special kind of runway show. Chromat, a bodywear label, hosts a pop-up event at Jacob Riis Beach, also known as The Peoples Beach, a popular destination for New York City’s queer, trans, and non-binary community. They present the latest collection in collaboration with the artist and filmmaker Tourmaline entitled Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred, or COCK.

The naughty name comes from the intentions behind the collection. During the pandemic, Tourmaline slid into designer Becca McCharen-Trans’s Instagram DMs about collaborating on a collection celebrating non-twisting, non-binary, intersex trans femmes. Inclusivity is often thrown around in fashion, but Chromat has been dedicated to it since its founding in 2008.

Photo: Alec Vierra

“It feels like a pivotal moment where we really are ourselves everywhere we go,” Tourmaline said before the show. And that doesn’t mean that the bulge is way stronger. It means we want to be able to have a variety of choices where we can all be present. It’s really about the abundance of our community.

During the design process, Tourmaline offered input on what might make people more comfortable. He tried on all of our swimsuits and would give feedback like, Maybe the gusset could be wider here or It needs more space up front here. Each item in the spring collection is available in sizes XS to 4X.

From left: Photo: Alec VierraPhoto: Alec Vierra

From above: Photo: Alec VierraPhoto: Alec Vierra

Even before the collection was designed, McCharen-Tran knew he wanted to appear on Jacob Riis Beach during fashion week. There is no such place, he said. The show was always meant to be a tribute to Riis and the community there that was a part of it.

McCharen-Tran noticed more people wearing the brand at Riis than any other beach. The people who happened to be on the boardwalk gathered to watch and shout the names of the models walking the boardwalk in red outfits. The swim skirts, monokinis, shorts and swim trunks with soft pack pouches and matching bikini tops. It was heavily inspired by lifeguards, McCharen-Tran said after the show. We want to have a protective element and think about safety. And red hot cherries are just alive and glowing, that’s what Tourmaline is all about. Every decision we make is about what will bring joy.

Photo: Alec Vierra

Photo: Alec Vierra

Photo: Alec Vierra

Photo: Alec Vierra

Photo: Alec Vierra

Photo: Alec Vierra