Exclusive interview with ‘Pose’ star Indya Moore, the face of CK’s Pride 2019 collection

Calvin Klein‘s Pride Collection for 2019 is all about self-expression, confidence and inclusivity.

In support of LGBTQ+ equality, the fashion brand has made a donation to The Human Rights Campaign.

The collection has plenty to pick from with everything from hoodies, T-shirts, sleeveless denim jackets, shorts, jockstraps, skirts and some great accessories.

The face of the campaign is actor and model Indya Moore, who stars in FX’s tv series Pose.

Indya, who identifies as non-binary, has recenty graced the cover of Elle USA, as their first ever trans coverstar.

Indya chatted exclusively to Attitude about Calvin’s Pride Collection, how big international brands can support the LGBTQ+ community in the most affective way, and also how there can be improvements in television and film for both trans actors and trans roles.

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How important is it for big, international fashion brands, such as Calvin Klein to show their support for the LGBTQ community?

With great products, comes great influence. With great influence, comes great advertising. With great advertising, comes great attention. With great attention, comes great consumption. With great consumption, comes great power. With great power, comes great responsibility. With great responsibility, comes great representation. With great representation, comes great liberation.

It’s very important just as important as models are important to fashion.

It’s important for brands to represent their consumers, it’s important for brands to participate in the advocacy of marginalized people because the presence of capitalism, media and capital advertising already distracts the public from social issues we are all responsible attend to.

Incorporating social awareness and action into the bandwidth of mainstream consciousness that advertising takes is an endless debt to be paid for as long as there is a pursuit for profit during a time where people are marginalized and the future of life on earth is in danger and easy to neglect by the distraction of capitalism.

But yes, it’s important for big international fashion brands like Calvin Klein to support queer and marginalized groups intersectionally simply because marginalized groups and queer people support big international fashion brands like Calvin Klein.

What do you think is the best way for a brand to support the LGBTQ community?

The best way for a brand to support the LGBTQ community is to frequently hire and center the most marginalized of LGBTQ people to represent their collections at all times not just on pride month.

On pride month, focus on giving to queer people in need and donating clothes to homeless queer people in need as opposed to selling to queer people.

Donate a reasonable percentage of earnings to organizations that protect and create accessibility for queer and black trans people.

Take action whenever the rights of queer people are under siege – internationally by donating and highlighting orgs doing the work to protect queer and trans people especially who’s health care rights and access to resources are constantly under threat.

Examples of this are: Global action project, Callen Lorde Community Health Center, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Trans Equality, ACLU Chase Strangio, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Audre Lordeproject, Lambda Legal, Southerners on New Ground, BreakOUT New Orleans, TGIJP in Oakland, and Familia Trans Queer Liberation.

Bigger/legal/reform organisations such as Trans Law Center, Peter Cicchino Youth Project, Make the Road, NCTE and the Anti-violence project.

 

How did your collaboration with Calvin Klein come about?

My agent, and beloved friend, Josh. When I asked my friend Josh Otten as an agent, what happened in his imagination that inspired him to represent me he said the timing was right for someone like you, ‘Beautiful, talented and passionate about topics that needed to be brought to the mainstream. When I see something and it clicks in my head and heart I make it happen. I saw fashion campaigns and covers and a f*****g Emmy winner. Your performance in the Pilot (pose) blew me away.’

After I agreed to become Josh’s client, he immediately began to go out and reach out to awesome brands people like me have never been represented in.

One of those receptive brands was Calvin Klein. Josh got me on a cool social media gig to advertise for amazon’s Calvin Klein and that’s when I met Michael. He represents the brand and advocated for my inclusion on a campaign!

When powerful people chose to include me in their imagination. Essentially, I think that’s the key to changing the world.

When gatekeepers and powerful people choose to include marginalized people in their imaginations when they cultivate, create and lead it opens the doors for change.

But I think it’s important to hire trans people as models not just when we become movie and TV Stars and have already cultivated fan bases to bring more clientele.

It’s important to hire models who are trans and queer especially when we’re not already famous.. But also please by all means keep hiring me (laughs.)

I love to work and I fully love Calvin Klein and am excited to be a part of their future and growth as a brand.

Do you have a favourite piece from the Pride collection?

I looooovvvveeeee their rainbow jean jacket that Liam Daniels is modelling and the underwear I modelled of course.

Do you think there has been an improvement in television and film for both trans actors and trans roles?

Absolutely, because of Showrunners like Steven Canals, Lee Daniels, Ava Duvernay, Ryan Murphy, and powerful agencies like WME & CAA opening their doors to trans people, trans representation is making history and has a greater potential to continue to.

Creators are imagining us in stories that transcend gender violence and trans trauma. Networks and major picture studios are more open to supporting talent who are trans. Things are moving.

You’ve talked about having more opportunities for trans actors, that are not primarily about their gender identity. What would your dream film or TV role be?

I want to take on roles that challenge the imagination of the audience to include us narratives that cis het people often occupy.

Parenthood, visual representation of trans people carrying children. Trans people in horror stories, action films, as super heroes, trans people in positions of power trans people.

Any time we represent trans people on screen playing a protagonist narrative we have never seen we are training the imagination of the world to accept us in these roles in real life.

Being cast as a trans politician can manifest that into a reality.

Being cast as a trans astronaut, or even a soldier that refuses to take on a mission that instructs them murder innocent people, casting trans people in stories that transcend gender violence or imagine us in life where anti trans bias isn’t part of the plot is important to manifest a future where anti trans bias and violence is no longer a reality.

Pose focuses on the NYC ball scene, have you ever been to a ball in NYC?

Yes honey I have, one time I walked runway for the latex ball and I got chopped. Never walked again!