Claire Fleury is a NYC-based fashion designer whose genderfluid work is significantly inspired by what she describes as “performative collaborations,” most often with members of the queer and trans community. Fleury previously co-founded Strange Loop Gallery with her partner Alesia Exum which operated from December 2011 until May 2014 in the Lower East Side. Strange Loop became a creative hub for the queer community as the gallery showed work from well known artists who push the boundaries of identity, feminism, and queerness such as Ryan Burke, Katrina Del Mar, Domonique Echeverria, Diego Montoya, and many more. Fleury and Exum decided to close the gallery to focus on their own work as designer and professional photographer respectively.
Fleury is self taught and draws from her background in theatre and performance when conceptualizing her work. Because of this, she often receives design commissions from the performing arts community and active members of NYC queer nightlife.
Exum’s latest photographic series of Fleury’s new choker collection shows a continued mutual passion for documenting Brooklyn queer trans drag nightlife and photographing artists and performers whom, according to Exum, “[are] people we feel would already wear Claire’s clothes and share this vision and inspiration. When Claire showed me her recent collection of chokers I wanted to photograph these punk fetish glam chokers on couples. We thought of Shay and Hayden and I contacted them and asked if they would be interested. I suggested the makeup to be punk-glam and a little drag. We went to their apartment in Ridgewood [where] the story unfolded as we all played dress up. [In the past] we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Image Object, Severely Mame, Leo Gugu, Stella Rose Saint Clair, Macy Rodman, Grayson Squire, Trey LaTrash, Lady Simon, Addison, Rify Royalty and Boy Radio.”
Inspired by her life long love for the classic punk choker, Fleury uses the choker as her canvas and loves the endless possibilities the small format offers. She comments, “They each carry their own miniature aesthetic, which could be anything from Carnival in Rio or Coney Island fun fair to soft bondage and future fetish wear.”
Fleury’s designs are available for purchase. Select chokers and other items are available at House of La Rue (NYC/Provincetown) and at pop-ups around town, for instance Casey Caldwell’s Fashion Frenzy every first Sunday at TnT in Brooklyn. Other items featured here are one-of-a-kind items of her ongoing Glam de Jour collection.
Find her and more work on her website and Instagram. Contact [email protected] for custom order inquiries or subscribe to the newsletter for updated pop up locations.
Hayden Harker is a master hairstylist and makeup artist at Mudhoney Salon in Soho, as well as a freelance artist. Follow him on Instagram. Shay Bares is a designer and choreographer living in Brooklyn. Follow them on Instagram. Hayden and Shay have been together for a little over a year.
Photography and art direction by Alesia Exum
