Sew Fierce is the reality show that pays drag designers their due

Fierce Sew is a drag show with a difference, putting eight sickening drag designers in the spotlight — and not too soon, according to host and mentor Barbada De Barbardes and Jaime Lujan, known as their drag persona Lucinda Miu.

“Drag is having a major moment right now,” Lucinda Miu’s non-drag alter ego, Canadian Jaime Lujan, told PinkNews.

“When we had Canada’s Drag Race announced, drag has become its own economy, it has become something sustainable. I was able to get my full-time job just sewing for drag artists.

Lujan’s first point sounds like a deliberate understatement in the larger context of his conversation with PinkNews. Slide East having a major moment right now, and it’s no longer limited to the pink fabric walls of RuPaul’s Drag Race – although they are somewhat unavoidable.

Whether it’s Drag Queen Story Hour, every country under the sun is getting its own spinoff of the aforementioned Miss Paul’s drag raceor other programs shown on our television screens, such as queen of the universe And call me motheryou will no doubt have seen a drag queen in some media lately.

But where there’s a drag queen, there’s a garment — and the makers of those garments don’t always get the same flowers as those who make death drops in them.

Enter the Canadian Series Fierce Sewthe Froot TV show which sees eight of the world’s top drag designers compete to win the first-ever drag designer contest and a $10,000 cash prize.

The designers create a look based on a weekly theme, judged by Jaime – and host Barbada De Barbardes – assisted by guest appearances from queer celebrities like drag race winner Priyanka and Vancouver fashion designer Evan Clayton.

It was this “pivotal moment” in drag queen, Jaime says, that prompted someone – anyone – to create a dedicated space to showcase the drag queen design process the way Fierce Sew fact, even though “there has been a need and a desire for a show like this for a while”.

For Barbados (call me mother), who is really the drag queen who wears the costumes designed and made for them, this opportunity to platform the designers was less of a want, more of a “need” for the designers not to be left behind in the mainstream presentation of the queer talent.

“[I] have to rely on amazing drag and costume designers. People need to see behind the scenes and we really need to take the time to reflect and shine a light on these designers.

For the two artists, Fierce Sew was an opportunity to try something new. Barbada had never hosted a TV show before, and as Jaime points out, “designing can be a pretty lonely experience.”

Bringing together eight “incredible creators” whom Jaime “respects and admires” has created a community environment that doesn’t often come with the idea of ​​queer people competing with each other.

“They were all so generous and kind and treated me so wonderfully, they really made me feel so much more confident in myself,” they say.

“There is drama to come, I promise. But it was really just artists doing what they did best, which was the best thing for me.

This “feast of love” was also an important aspect to highlight for Barbados.

“Fierce Sew is about fashion and the work behind fashion, but also about the community aspect of the queer community – and the family side that sometimes we don’t see as often on other competitions, you know, where it’s a bit more bitchy “, she explains.

But, it’s a competition, and people have to go home. Jaime, however, is desperate not to fall into what we’ll call the Michelle Visagification of Judgment – which can sometimes feel personal, a la Adore Delano in All Stars 2.

“The one downstairs, I’ve been there several times in my career. There are so many things that can go wrong. It was so important for me in every review to make them understand that I’m talking about the work. I’m not talking about them, personally.

“The fact that they’re on the show proves they’re a great designer.”

The pair are keeping quiet about the show’s best moments, which means you’ll have to watch to find out – but if their limited answers to this question are to be believed, you’ll want to stick around until the finale.

“The final looks are amazing. They’re out of this world,” Barbada says. “The amount of fabric that was used…you’re going to have to watch that.”

Second, Jaime adds, “The contestants’ final looks are some of the best drag looks I’ve seen on a drag TV show. And the best representation of what the show is all about.

Fierce Sew is his own fierce display of talent and love for drag – but it’s almost impossible to talk about drag without adding “race” at the end and putting “RuPaul’s” in front. So when asked if the world’s biggest drag scene should let the queens credit their designers on the show, Barbada says yes.

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Barbada said. “Especially with something like drag racemaybe that’s not something they can do for the duration of the show, but especially for the finales, when you have these ridiculously ornate, amazing, mind-blowing costumes, a little take would be nice.

Jaime, on the other hand, agrees and then backs off – but not for the reason you might think.

“I think they should. Yeah. Or, on the other hand, maybe they shouldn’t. And we’ll do everything on Fierce Sew.”

Fierce Sew is streaming now on Froot TV.