There is an unmistakable thoughtfulness in the responses, and paired with the magazine’s edgy, demure, and exacting aesthetic, VYM is a gorgeously textured luxury product. Sasha is the magazine’s artistic director, and from the moment you pick up issue number 1, his background in graphic design and self-publishing is evident. Johnny is the editorial director. Together, House of Velour combines a rigor in all things queer theory with a deep empathy for a range of voices.
Bald-headed glamour queens. Tap-dancing bio kings. Goth princes and vampire princesses, lips alight with crimson glitter lipstick. Last Thursday at Bizarre Bar in Bushwick, a multitude of kings, queens and those who eschew such labels performed to a full house at NIGHTGOWNS, a companion show to the newly launched VYM: the Drag Magazine.
Both NIGHTGOWNS and VYM are the creations of Brooklyn-based couple Sasha and Johnny Velour. If you’re used to expecting just one thing from drag, House of Velour will encourage you to rethink those boundaries—or better yet, to do away with boundaries altogether, particularly where notions of gender are concerned.
