"Keeping up with the safety measurements was very important to me, which is why the story is shot from an intercom as well as from a distance—to showcase this reality.” Alliegro reimages the fashion shoot for this geared-up new time, and creates some stunning images in the process.
Check it out below.
Renée is styled in various pieces from MI Leggett's gender-free, anti-waste label, Official Rebrand.
What was it like growing up in Hell’s Kitchen?
Growing up in Hell’s kitchen on the edge of the Theatre district was Totally a difference compared to many. My mother had a store on 44th St. we lived behind the store I slept on a fold away cot my entire youth. My mother had a wig and toupee Business with many clients in the theater. I was the delivery kid for my mother. I was fortunate growing up to meet so many interesting and creative people and the workers who lived in the SRO hotels who taught me much about life. This was when Times Square and Hell‘s kitchen was a much more integrated neighborhood than now. And much more working class of Black, Latinx, Queer many of which work in the big hotels as service people elevator operators and maintenance but were also artists and creators in their own rite.
You’ve mentioned before that New York has lost its edge. What do you think has contributed to this dulling and how could the “edge” of the past be revived? — Give us a blueprint.
I would say that yes New York has lost some of its raw creative edge of reality because of the influx of wealthy white people that has raised the cost of living beyond reach for many people. But the edge of New York still exists it’s just more scattered around the city and it will come back because I’m sure that when the next financial collapse comes and it’s coming many of these shallow expensive but insignificant institutions that have predominated many historic districts and neighborhoods will be stopped in their tracks in terms of restaurants bars high-rise apartments that will now be out of reach for even the upper middle class.
What role does style play in your life?
Oscar Wilde once said it is style that is more important than substance. I’m paraphrasing. Quentin Crisp answered I disagree. What’s more important is to have both substance and style. So The way I express myself partly in life is reflected in how you compose Your appearance. And for me you are telling the story with every step you take when you walk down the street. For us especially in the Trans/GNC/Non-Binary Community For every one of those steps we take in our proud in existence every one of those steps takes us further to the revolution.
You recently modeled for an incredible Walter Van Beirendonck x Chris Habana campaign in which clips are pinned all over your body and face. What was this experience like and how is your skin holding up?
well I must say after many Fashion shoots I have to say that shooting for Walter Van Beirendonck x Chris Habana Was one of my favorites Because of the atmosphere in the shoot is very empathetic. It is so easy to model for them. We always seem to be in complete alignment and sometimes have said to me Renée You know what we want you to do before we ask you what to do! As far as that particular shoot frankly I enjoyed the clips all over my body I love doing that which is against the grain. We need more exceptions to the so-called norm. And those shoots are a significant exception to the so-called norm. My skin is fine maybe let’s just say I’m used to experimentation and I welcome it. Frankly I enjoyed the clips all over me.
Throughout your life you’ve been fighting for a variety of causes, has a common thread appeared within the variation?
Oh yes. The most common thread that weaves thru every element in society is Racism as the #1 crisis in the US. Capitalism could never survive without their number one tool Which is divide and conquer. Without using racism everywhere capitalism could never survive. The fight against racism is Paramount and none of us Black, white, Queer, straight, will never be free until it is wiped from the face of this country.
On the Vietnam War
What caused me to switch my stance was the war! The Blood! The war crimes committed by the US military!!! The slaughter! The genocide! The dead children! We were not fighting the wrong side, we were the wrong side. My PTSD haunts me every night. I dedicate myself to undo any contribution that I did in oppressing the Vietnamese people.
As someone who has tricked on and off for nearly 40 years, could you give us some insight into your experience with sex work?
I will sum this up quickly. I drove a taxi for 27 years. Every night when I did not make enough money on The meter… I made it in the backseat.
What was it like shooting with Emmie America?
Shooting with Emmie America was one of my favorite projects with MI Leggett and Official Rebrand. Let me say this about MI. All designers are influenced at one time or another by others. What stands out with MI is when they are influenced their interpretation is so original and completely their own in their creations. That is significant in the world of fashion design that many others do not possess. It is an honor to model for them.
If Renée Imperato was given the opportunity to craft a perfect outro for this interview, what would she say?
True freedom is breaking out of the jail cell that is the size of your own body. I will put it in one simple phrase….. When you worry what other people think of you…. You will Always be their Prisoner. Time for Jailbreak!
My first time traveling to the homeland was in August 2020 during the Black Lives Matter uprising. I was shocked to find that even two years after the Hurricane, the island was still recovering, thanks to the natives that nurture it. Just a year after the island had gotten together to overthrow their governor Ricardo Rosselló, and at the finale of the Trump Administration, the island's proclamation for abolition had not subsided in the least. Murals decorated the city with Black and White Puerto Rican Flags, paired with names of Trans and Black Puerto Ricans murdered written in chalk. These memorials were met with dozens of candles, flowers, and an overwhelming sense of mourning. I thought about how similar our grief was from the states to the island, and what that meant to the overall feeling of Puerto Ricans worldwide.
I made this series based on abolition. A concept of defunding the government ran police departments and redistributing those tax dollars to trained workers to tackle specific human needs. The issue in the states and the homeland is that the police and the government have yet to see us as people worth protecting. This lack of trans protection is not even a money issue, it's an ethics issue. There is a massive Trans Health Care crisis happening not only in Puerto Rico but here in the state. This issue arises from a lack of physical spaces for trans folk to receive proper physical and mental health facilities but goes deeper. We are being attacked by the same people who are paid to protect us.
According to a study by Sheilla L. Rodríguez-Madera and the National Institute of Drug Abuse, out of 59 trans women studied, 83% have witnessed violence towards another trans member and from that percentile, 43% experienced violence from the police when reporting. This isn't the first study or documentation of the police actively ignoring trans violence on the island either. In fact, many trans locals refer to a section 2 miles off of San Juans Capital as an area where police take trans women to sexually assault them. This forces trans folk in the homeland to hide from the police, and practically erases any aid they could receive. In 2018 CBS News interviewed the PR Police Department where a panel of all women talked about how there are “No Numbers'' of trans people being abused by officers, and although this is true technically, it's a fault because the police abuse simply new documents their crimes according to local trans activists.
Ultimately, the trans health care crisis is an ethics issue, because the people in charge of protecting us don't meet our values. With a rise in Trans homicides in the homeland and the states, I just couldn't participate in another Puerto Rican pride that was in conjunction with these aggressors. Instead of marching beside police that'll wave flags during our parade and still sexually assault our sisters in the dark, I choose to be bold like my island and recognize they do not protect us. Instead of allowing colonists to move into my indigenous space and frack our land for natural resources, I choose to dismantle my island and overthrow any leader that doesn't protect us. Instead of sexualizing and pushing our trans & cis women for public display, I choose to be a warrior like my island and fight for the equity of all femme-identifying folk.
It doesn't matter if you are on the island, or in the states, you are Puerto Rican and you are strong. We over through our governor, we over through our president, and there is nothing we can't do if we unite. We can't wait for the states to keep us safe, we keep ourselves safe. This safety starts with love, intersectionality, unbiased community gathering, and living. So this Puerto Rican day, I want you to be as loud, black, trans, classic, indigenous, and as Boricua as you can. For the friends we lost, they live through us so make it worth it.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and the work you do?
Maika Angeleo My name is Michael Kaya Angeleo, I am the Creative/Co-Founder of Love Approved. I started to explore different arts and create at a young age but I always felt forced to pursue a career that had been influenced by others. It wasn’t until I allowed myself to start dreaming again that I rediscovered my passion to create and bring people together.
Damon Sherengo My name is Damon Sherengo. I am a first generation entrepreneur in Los Angeles. I Co-Founded a lifestyle brand called Love Approved. We work to build a community around acceptance and creative expression while reminding people that it is okay to be yourself. I handle day to day operations, I am a facilitator of our direction, and I work to make our collective dreams and visions possible in the real world.
Chris Mathew My Name is Chris Mathew, I am from Santa Barbara, CA. I Co - Founded a clothing brand called Love Approved. Our mission is to create pieces of clothing that give a reflection on what it means to create with an open mind. I handle all outreach, making sure we’re building connections and moving up with the community around us.
How would you describe the place you feel most at home?
MA Personally I’m always comfortable to be myself wherever I’m at and I really feel at home when I’m with my friends. There’s never a dull moment when we’re together and we’re usually always with each other, if you see one of us then the other two are probably close by.
DS Home to me is less of a place, and more so the people I surround myself with. I’m grateful to have people in my life that I share strong bonds with. These are people who accept, support, and elevate me very much including Maika & Chris, my family, and a handful of great people I've met on my journey.
CM Well, I feel at home when I’m creating beats or DJing and finding new sounds we haven't heard before. But home can be more than an external feeling. For me it also resides in my people. Sharing relationships and friendships are a big part of feeling at home for me because it reminds me of how I grew up and reminds me of my why in life.
What does the word clubhouse mean to you?
MA Clubhouse to me really reminds me of when we were kids and I always used to dream of a place where me and my friends would hang out and do whatever it is we loved. Now that I’m older I’ve come to realize that my clubhouse is wherever my friends and I are at, our vibe resonates with people and attract them in any setting we’re in.
DS Clubhouse to me is a safe space to express my creativity, decompress when needed, and lock into my work. If I feel comfortable doing all three there then it’s my Clubhouse.
CM Clubhouse to me is a place that provides the freedom to create and interact. An environment where you can dream and bring ideas to life.
Explain the importance of movement within your community.
MA Movement as in our message: For us especially, I feel that movement within our community is one of the most important things because of how impactful our message is. Movement as in physical movement: Movement to us is extremely important being that we’re always working in a stationary setting on smart devices; we definitely have to make it a priority to always find a way to remain active whether it’s hacky sack, walking around the city, or going to the gym we find a way.
DS Movement within my community is extremely important. Much of our work is on our phones and laptops, so we constantly make it a point to include movement in our routine to support our mental health. We take breaks to hacky sack, we all workout to keep our bodies healthy, and we also travel to different locations regularly for new inspiration.
CM Movement is really important to our community. As creatives we make it a priority to have movement because that's where new perspectives and experiences are. From traveling to going out to shows and even hiking, its good to disconnect and dive into something foreign.
What inspires you?
MA I feel that I create the best when I’m experiencing love; this doesn’t always have to be romantic love either, I find love in a lot of different ways such as brotherly or the love and appreciation of life itself. I wake up everyday feeling grateful to still be here and continue to push our message and spread love to others.
DS I’m really inspired by the unity and flow of nature. I appreciate seeing the art the world creates on its own. Something a lot of us take for granted.
CM What inspires me the most is my people. I grew up with a single mother, so when people come into my life it isn’t for no reason. I understand how many people had an impact on my life, so I put my pride in wanting to give what I received from the people around me.
What does the importance of community mean to you?
MA Our community is so important to us because a lot of our initial supporters were our family members, and being that the three of us are so family oriented it means a lot that they believe in our vision and hard work because they’re the ones who inspired us.
DS Community is extremely important because I need that support system. I appreciate my community because it gives me people that I can celebrate the highs with and people that I can get through the lows with. That support all around is necessary to a healthy life.
CM The importance of community means alot to me because I need that support. That's why I’m thankful for the community I have because I need those affirmations, having someone in your corner is essential to be happy.
