As a clothing designer, Sky Cubacub has style on the mind but conversely has no interest in being fashionable. In fact, that word suggests the opposite of Cubacub’s vision, which is to develop gender non-conforming clothes and accessories for people on the full spectrum of identity, size and ability.
“Fashionable is all about being able to be fashioned and I reject that,” says Cubacub, who is gender fluid and has non-apparent disabilities. Through Rebirth Garments, their clothing and accessory line, Cubacub creates wearables specialized to meet the needs of transgender, genderqueer and disabled individuals.
“Fashion in itself is inherently exclusive and that’s why I also don’t necessarily identify as a fashion designer,” Cubacub says. “That’s why I call it Rebirth Garments. I am a garment maker, even though I’m making clothing and all clothing is seen under the realm of fashion, but I am trying to do a thing that is opposite of what fashion has been doing for centuries.”
The Carnegie in Covington is currently exhibiting Radical Visibility, a project featuring Rebirth Garments. It loudly opposes — if not defies — today’s runway and commercial trends.
Radical Visibility opened March 15 with a show featuring 25 models, including Cubacub, dancing down the runway in approximately 50 handmade pieces.
“I always model because I never want to have anybody feel objectified,” Cubacub says. “So many fashion designers don’t wear their own clothes and I think that’s what leads to clothing not being comfortable.”
The garments will be displayed at The Carnegie as part of its Open Source 1.3 multi-artist gallery installment, along with a video of the runway event. (See pictures from the event here.)
The collection for Radical Visibility was directly inspired by Cubacub’s late father, Arturo. A painter, Arturo often manipulated geometric designs into sleek patterns of color and symmetry. Using his paintings from the 1970s along with his music, Lindsey Whittle — a local artist and longtime friend of Cubacub — created prints that Cubacub then incorporated into their collection.
Every Rebirth Garment is custom made and tailored to the individual model — and not just on the runway. The majority of sales come from Cubacub’s Etsy page, where an average of one piece is sold per day, they say. There are no standard sizes, no tags and Cubacub also caters to people with sensory sensitivities by offering garments with seams on the outside.
Cubacub also makes spandex garments that act as protectors and covers for braces and prosthetics. They first began making sleeves for prosthetic limbs when a longtime friend, Michelle Zacarias, revealed that the burrs and sharp edges on her prosthetic leg were ruining her clothing. To prevent it, Zacarias, now a model, would wear multiple pairs of panty hose. Cubacub wanted to make an all-in-one item to assist Zacarias while also making her feel empowered.
“Most clothing for folks with disabilities or trans folks are boring and very medicalizing and pathologizing and look like scrubs or bandaids,” they say. “That’s not celebratory of people. So I wanted to make stuff that looks really cute and sexy or comfortable, and through that it helps with your emotions when you are wearing it.”
Gender-affirming pieces such as chest binders and tucking underwear are among Rebirth’s most popular items. They honor the opportunity to make something beautiful, but also useful, with bright, neon colors and geometric shapes and patterns.
Rebirth’s Etsy page features tiles of shining options, including unisex boxers with an insulin pump pocket, mermaid-tail thigh-high stockings for wheelchair users, “free the armpit” crop tops and an assortment of rainbow undergarments that double as swimwear. Intricate fabrics and dizzying patterns are among the customizable choices. Sheer mesh and lace are readily available while novel patterns like “holographic snakeskin” and “shattered glass” await custom designs in multiple colors.
For Cubacub, every day is a performance. Making art and making clothes are interchangeable and wearing their designs is more than a statement. They refer to their clothing and accessories as “emotional armor” that facilitate social interactions and validate confidence.
Rebirth Garments works to create communities that refuse to assimilate or accept “sizeist, ableist and transphobic” beauty standards through the activation of their art and unapologetic presence.
Radical Visibility opened March 15 and is currently on display at The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd, Covington. For more info: thecarnegie.com or rebirthgarments.com.
This article appears in Mar 13-20, 2019.