I had an opportunity to interview NiK, and they shed light on their incredible work and ideas for future events.
Hi NiK! Thank you for speaking with me about Queer Prom, an annual fundraising event for Equality Fashion Week. Can you tell us about your background and how you got started as an event producer?
I started producing events back in high school, where I produced my first concert, an oldies concert with some legends. I fell in love with it because you can see the impact it creates for people in the audience, and it feels good to bring joy to others.
What inspired you to create Queer Prom, and what are the main goals or objectives for the event?
Queer Prom was created to generate an opportunity to raise funds for Equality Fashion Week, the first LGBTQ-focused fashion week in LA. The pandemic had slowed down our momentum on the event, and so I needed to find a way to raise funds to produce the large-scale production that EFW is.
Queer Prom came as an idea for this purpose because I never went to my own prom because I didn’t feel safe or comfortable experiencing that rite of passage in high school. And as a brand with a purpose, I didn’t want to just throw a random party. I wanted the event to mean something more than just fundraising. Creating an inclusive prom that allows so many of us who didn’t get to be our authentic selves or go to prom at all a chance to relive and create our own version of what prom should have been. It’s an evening of healing and community, and that’s what my mission is all about.
Why did you choose a Studio54 theme?
Studio54, in its heyday, was during a time of strife with war and epidemic, but people from all walks of life still gathered for a night to let all their worries go and DANCED together! It didn’t matter if you were Diana Ross or the blue-collar worker like my parents, or how you dressed or who you loved… it was free love and freedom! I wanted to channel that for this Queer Prom because last year, our Prom was much more “high school” theme at Kacy High and Principal Garcia. This year, I wanted to go the opposite direction and really make it very adult themed.
How do you approach creating an inclusive and safe environment for attendees at Queer Prom?
Last year we were one of the few large gatherings that didn’t have a single Covid outbreak because we took every precaution to keep our community safe. I hope this year it is the same. The reason it is always important to find an elevated venue that is private is so we can ensure the safety of our community. Particularly now when there is an increase in hate crimes and legislation against our LGBTQ (particularly the T part) community.
The vision I have for all my events is to be as inclusive and diverse as possible because it is to showcase the incredible community that we have. I bring in a variety of hosts to represent and talented performers. Our prom royals last year were 2 Masculine of Center folks – Luckie Alexander Fuller, founder of Invisible Trans Men, and Ap Qazi, a nonbinary human. Being able to uplift and create visibility for those of our most underrepresented community is paramount to me.
What challenges have you faced as an LGBTQ+ event producer, and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me is raising funding so I can equitably compensate everyone. Part of creating a diverse and inclusive event means inviting a LOT more people to be part of it, and to truly uplift our marginalized community, we need to pay them fairly. Funding for QTBIPOC folks are rarer and harder to find than for other communities, so it takes an incredible amount of work and time to gain traction and be able to produce these events.
Have you involved the local LGBTQ+ community in the planning and execution of Queer Prom?
Absolutely! It truly does take a village, and I feel so grateful to have the support of the City of West Hollywood who is our partnering with me to help bring this event to life. Each year the City of Weho provides grants for local community organizations as part of their Weho Pride programming. I applied two years in a row and am so proud to one of the recipients! I also spent months tracking down management at the West Hollywood EDITION to convince them to donate their space to our event.
Sunset at EDITION was created by Ian Schrager, one of the co-founders of the original Studio54, so it really was meant to be. I am truly so thrilled to be partnering with these two incredible organizations to bring Queer Prom to life for our community! There are also so many more other supporters that helped me raise over $20k this year for EFW. T-Mobile has continued to support year after year. Our local Chambers of Commerce, City National Bank, ProjectQ, the list goes on. You can see all the sponsors at our website at equalityfashionweek.com. I am just so blessed to have the support of so many in my community who believe in my vision and want to be part of it! It’s going to be amazing!
Are there any specific partnerships or collaborations with Queer Prom that you’d like to tell us about?
I wanna shout out my dear friend Bella of Bella B. Productions, who has been instrumental in helping me the last month in handling logistics with DJs and getting the staff, volunteers, venue, and everything sorted and ready for today’s big day!! She is an incredible event producer herself, and I feel so lucky to have her as my right hand on this. I look forward to many, many more events together!
I also want to talk about Translatina Coalition, who is a nonprofit organization devoted to supporting Trans and Gender Nonbinary, Gender Expansive lives. I started my relationship with them over six years ago, and it’s part of my mission to help them reach their goal to building a new state-of-the-art community center in LA. I hope that by growing Equality Fashion Week and Queer Prom, I can eventually start raising enough funding to not only equitably pay my community (and myself) but also raise additional funds to support nonprofit organizations like Translatina Coalition.
If you had to choose one fashion trend from the past to bring back, what would it be and why?
I am someone who believes in individuality and moving forward, so I rarely think of bringing back fashion. I find fashion to be typically a solution to something related to the times, and for me, I am a very classic sort of dresser. I am wearing a tux to Queer Prom tonight and that pretty much is my uniform. For casual events, it’s a black shirt and jeans or slacks. It’s ironic as a fashion designer, I really try not to spend too much of my time thinking about my own clothes. 🙂
What is your go-to outfit or fashion item that always makes you feel confident and empowered?
A black suit, often without a tie, and a black shirt with my NiK Kacy Georgios boots. That’s my favorite go-to for most events.
Can you share any exciting plans or visions you have for the future of Queer Prom?
After tonight’s Queer Prom, I’ll be focused on Equality Fashion Week, which I plan to schedule in October during LA Fashion Week. I probably won’t be thinking about next Queer Prom until end of the year, but I’m sure whatever it will be, it will be AMAZING! Each time I throw an event, I aim to make it better than last time, so the goal really will be raising more funds to not only pay everyone but to also raise funds to help Translatina Coalition build their state-of-the-art community center!
Lastly, can our readers attend Queer Prom, and where can they get tickets?
We are sold out of VIP tickets but we do still have general admission tickets left they can buy at equalityfashionweek.com or at the door!
I am grateful for your openness in sharing your personal experiences and the opportunity to speak about the transformative power of fashion. I look forward to witnessing your continued success.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share and for using your platform to share my journey!