How Protest Signs Transformed into a Drag Queen’s Dress
From a perfectly reasonable point of view, there’s nothing wrong with drag. Who cares what kind of clothing a person wears?! It’s a chance to express one’s self through glitz, glamour and fun fashion, and, even the slightest consideration will tell you that there’s no valid or grounded reason for the hate crimes and homophobia that this practice faces. ‘Ooooooooh - so scary - a non-cisgender woman in a dress and makeup’ … said no sane person ever.
Unfortunately, however, the world is not a very sane place. Yes, protests toward drag and the LGBTQ+ community have been around for a while, but it’s been especially bad in recent years. The number of bigots passing harmful policies in the US certainly lends to this, but what’s worse is that, as of late, these social outlooks have really begun to return in full-force to Canada.
For this reason, Village Montréal, the development corporation behind the city’s globally recognised LGBTQ+ district decided it was the perfect time to speak up. Working in partnership with creative agency LG2, the two decided to respond not with hate, but with a message of kindness, inclusion and acceptance, by crafting a rainbow dress. But, this was no ordinary garment. In fact, it was constructed out of anti-drag protest signs that were chopped up into tiny paper flower petals - literally turning objects of hate into a beautiful symbol of tolerance and the values of diversity.
But, the campaign didn’t stop there. To further emphasise the need to stand up against hate, the dress was then worn by popular Montreal drag artist, transgender woman and LGBTQ+ activist Sasha Baga. Debuting at Bar le Cocktail, a well-known drag cabaret in the district, it served as the perfect collective opportunity to underscore Village Montréal and LG2’s support for the drag and LGBTQ+ communities.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with LG2 account manager Maude Richard, copywriter Félix-Antoine Belleville, and art director Olivier Caron, as well as Village Montréal’s executive director, société de développement commercial, Gabrielle Rondy to learn how this fabulous campaign came to be.
LBB> Tell us more about Village Montréal! How was this group formed, what are you hoping to accomplish, and what made now the right time for this campaign?
Gabrielle> The Village, Montreal's inclusive district, is a globally recognised 2SLGBTQIA+ destination that welcomes over two million visitors each year. Village Montréal is a commercial development corporation that has been working to promote the vitality of the district since 2006. We contribute to the economic transformation and vibrancy of The Village by promoting diversity, inclusivity, and innovation!
In terms of campaign timing, with several anti-drag protests taking place in Quebec and the United States, it seemed necessary to reply to these protests and extend an inclusive hand to those who experience discrimination.
LBB> And how did this campaign get started? What was the brief, and who approached who?
Gabrielle> It was actually LG2 who contacted us to launch this campaign, offering us the opportunity to position ourselves in support of drag queens and the values of inclusion, respect, and innovation that we share. It was obviously a good fit since they have been supporting us for two years (with the redesign of our brand image and a positioning campaign, among other things). They are familiar with our challenges, goals, and aspirations, and all in all, have been an exceptional partner in promoting The Village, its merchants and our values.
Maude> Félix-Antoine’s idea was to respond to the hatred in style. We’re fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with Village Montréal, and since the creation of the manifesto campaign, we’ve come up with many ideas to highlight diversity. For this one, we proposed the dress idea to Gabrielle Rondy, who immediately agreed to embark on the project.
LBB> Taking on LGBTQ+ hate is no small task. How did you get started with the creative process? And where did the idea of making a dress out of protest signs come from?
Félix-Antoine> Anti-drag protests were gaining momentum in the US, but it was when we saw the movement spreading to Quebec that we felt the need to defend the inclusive values that are so important to us. Making a beautiful dress out of something ugly came from the idea of turning hate into beauty. We wanted to prove that the beautiful and the good is always stronger than the ugly and the bad.
Gabrielle> LG2 consulted with us at every stage of the creative process to ensure that the concept aligned with the realities of people in the community. In our opinion, the dress concept was an excellent way to position ourselves and assert our support for drag artists!
LBB> Tell us more about the design process. Who did you work with, how long did it take, and what was the experience like?
Oliver> The design process was quite intuitive. We had a stretch fabric dress template to build on, but first, we had to figure out how we could craft a dress with cardboard and heavy paper signs while keeping a nice, flowy silhouette. That’s when we got the idea to cut the signs into flower petals. This way, much like feathers, we were able to layer the cutouts over each other and create the dress from bottom to top without losing any shape and style.
It was only then, when we had this solution in hand, that we started cutting hundreds of petals. We stuck them to the dress one by one - to lend more control and movement at the bottom of the dress - and, on our way up, we applied the petals in rows. Overall, the dress took about 12 hours to complete.
LBB> How many signs were used to make the dress and accompanying confetti? And physically, where did you get the signs from?
Olivier> We used about three dozen signs to make the petal confetti for the dress, and we got crafty to get our hands on them. We looked at photos and video footage of anti-drag queen rallies and demonstrations, and we carefully copied the size, typography and style of every sign that we could see. This way, we were able to get our hands on signs that were used in real life without going to such rallies and events, or increasing their numbers to get the resources to build our dress.
LBB> Getting drag artist Sasha Baga to showcase the dress is a great choice! How did you get her involved in this project? And what was the experience of working with her like?
Gabrielle> Sasha Baga was an excellent leader for this project! As a trans woman and fierce drag queen, she represents everything we stand for, and when we approached her to see if she was interested in participating, she was immediately enthusiastic!
Maude> On the day of the shoot, we had the opportunity to discuss the challenges she faces - her reality. Sharing and exchanging with Sasha really added to the entire team’s creative process. It was a really great experience and Sasha was an ally in the project from start to finish.
LBB> The accompanying video is poignant! Where did you source the protest footage from, and as a whole, what was the experience of making the spot like?
Félix-Antoine> The footage comes from a variety of news sources, including local and international media, as well as some social media. People in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community protect and inform themselves, and are often an excellent source of information on the ground.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Maude> One of the challenges of this project was staying contextual and working quickly and flexibly with a small team. In just a few days, we managed to coordinate all the people and parts we needed to make it work. The strong collaboration between everyone involved in the project allowed us to finish without any major issues. It was a great team effort!
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Félix-Antoine> Creating the ad was a valuable learning experience. This kind of idea requires fast, efficient execution while maintaining a high level of creativity. The key to our success was having a small, agile team. That way, everyone wore every hat, and we were able to capitalise on people’s hidden strengths.
In the end, we learned to trust each other as a team and build on each other's strengths. That, and the fact that creativity has the power to really make a difference and move things forward. We are incredibly proud to have been able to contribute to such a worthy cause!
LBB> What has the initial response been like? Have people reacted well to this campaign?
Maude> The response to the campaign was very positive. Naturally, people in the community responded well, but people outside the community were also moved by the idea and message.
We were also fortunate to receive excellent media coverage! The campaign was discussed on prime-time shows in Quebec City, influential people shared it on social media, and, above all, people supporting the cause left great testimonials.
Gabrielle> Many voices from the community joined in on the message of acceptance and openness put forward by the campaign. It was truly beautiful to see people come together around the unifying message presented by the dress campaign.
LBB> Is there anything you’d like to add?
Félix-Antoine> We can't thank OKOK, Bruhmuller Studio and Village Montréal enough!
Maude> I think it was a super enriching experience for the whole team, and we feel really lucky to have been part of this project. Our work with Village Montréal allows us to take concrete action and tackle issues with strong, powerful ideas. For us, it’s an honour to be able to speak out and help the 2SLGBTQIA+ community move forward.
Gabrielle> The art of drag has been gaining a lot of momentum in recent years, and we sense genuine enthusiasm from the public. The best way to support these artists, who show such heart and courage, is to go see them in The Village’s various establishments and discover their wonderful performances.
Beyond that, making The Village a welcoming, inclusive place - where every existence is legitimate and protected - also means taking a stand on issues affecting the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, while valuing dialogue, education, and the representation of diversity.
