How Queerness & Embracing Individuality Influences Stuzo Clothing Designs
Stoney Michelli Love (she/he/they) is the CEO and Founder of Stuzo Clothing, a Black Latin woman and queer-owned clothing company. Although based in Los Angeles, Stuzo Clothing takes its New York roots and shreds the constraining fabric of societal norms by offering gender-free pieces. Stoney designed the clothing company to invoke thought and emotion while making the brand’s mission to create a space in the fashion world where all are welcome without judgment and give back to the QTBIPOC community.
Stoney grew up in The Bronx, NY, and moved to LA in 2010, where they established the bold and non-conforming brand. They found passion and were inspired to jump into the world of fashion in college and decided to use their newly founded business to address discrimination, homophobia, and racism through their art.
"High school and junior high were fashion shows," said Stoney. "I didn't feel good if I didn't have something that I felt confident wearing to school, but I didn't correlate that with fashion until my mid-to-late twenties when I was working on my artistry. New York is a melting pot, and I grew up seeing so many different things and walks of life; and as much as diverse as it is, there was still a lot of homophobia at the time. We didn't have a lot of the language that we now have, and there was still a lot of racism. I was inspired by things that I saw and began putting them on t-shirts. You can use clothing to send a message, and a t-shirt is a garment that we can all relate to. I went that route because that was a thing I loved as well. I had a gang of t-shirts, and they all represented different facets of me."
"I remember a relative asking me something along the lines of, 'are you still gay,' and me thinking, where do you think this went," Stoney continued. "I found it so mind-blowing, but I felt that other people could relate to people thinking being gay is a fad. I remember telling the relative, "yep, still gay," and a lightbulb went on before I sketched it. I thought, let me put it on a t-shirt and wear it, so I don't have to answer the question, and people will know. It was one of the first logos I created and put on a t-shirt, and today it's the successful one because it is still so relatable. The second logo was on a t-shirt that had the word 'Human' underlined with words that I deemed derogatory crossed out all around it. I like to refer to people as human because that's the defining thread that connects us, and it is how I prefer to operate. The more work you do, the more compassion you gain for people, and I took that and the things that I saw around me and was provided for me to create.”
The influence for the type of designs that Stoney created for the Stuzo brand came from the beauty that can be found in uniqueness and in embracing individuality. Stoney attributes the inspiration from each of their pieces to aspects of themselves and to different parts of their life. Each design is a snapshot in the photo look book of Stoney’s life.
“You can look back at the collections I've had in the past and see where I was at in life, similar to the way you can look back on albums from musicians and see where they were in their careers. It's pretty interesting to look at because I authentically create from where I am. There are things that I create that are timeless and contain messages that I will always believe in. Those are the classic pieces that will stand the test of time because the message will never go out of style."
"Having a store that didn't have sections. That was something, at the time, no one was doing in LA. The term gender-free wasn't popular, but I was using it not because no one else was doing it but because that was what I wanted to experience. My style is what I believe in, and I knew there were other people who would like to experience that as well. I don't try to follow all of the trends. I know that I have to do things my way, and I think that is what makes everyone so uniquely beautiful. We have to highlight our individuality because if everyone was doing the same exact thing dance on TikTok, then we're just watching one channel. I want to see the variety and everyone's individuality showing."
Celebrating individuality and how Stoney identifies with their queerness has influenced how Stoney defines their style. The definition of queerness and how Stoney embodies queerness in all facets of their life has taken the label, broken it open, and offered something beyond what we know about identity, which can’t be contained in a box.
"I identify as queer, and I see that as the umbrella that goes over everything that isn't straight, and everything under that is whatever. It's about how you see yourself and identify, and I take that same concept into fashion. Queerness and fashion can be anything, it's that freedom to interchange things, and it inspires me to try new things and be more open. What you wear doesn't define your gender. It's not everything, but it's a part of your style, and it can help express a piece of who you are, who is also so much more. Queerness in fashion is eclectic, and you can be anything."
Stuzo Clothing will be at Santa Monica Pride in a popup store near the Promenade every weekend in June. The brand will also be joining the FootLocker team beginning this Pride month with three limited-edition exclusive and original designs that have never been released. A portion of Stuzo Clothing donations will go to 501c3 nonprofit Q26 to help support queer youth of color in the organization's creative career-building programs. You can catch a new collection from Stuzo during New York Fashion Week, along with Dapper Q, on September 8th. You can follow Stoney and the events around Stuzo Clothing on Instagram at stuzoclothing or visit their website at stuzoclothing.com for more information.