Omar Ayuso, Arca, and King Princess Share Their Queer Defining Moments

Though June is still a few days away, Calvin Klein is kicking off the Pride celebrations today with a video and capsule collection honoring those intimate moments that define the queer journey. Six photographers captured a few Interview favorites at their most intimate, including Omar Ayuso, Honey Dijon, Isaac Cole Powell, and King Princess. Styled by our Creative Director Mel Ottenberg, the video shows the subjects lounging and proudly showing off their Calvins as they speak on the moments that defined their life as members of the LGBTQIA+ community—from the makeup artist Raisa Flowers describing her rebellious head shave in Catholic school to Arca’s first time cruising. The brand has also announced a two-year partnership with The Trevor Project to increase access to essential 24/7 crisis services and other mental health resources for the LGBTQIA+ community. CK has also donated to the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund to support the National Pulse Memorial & Museum, the nonprofit established by the owner of the Pulse nightclub following the 2016 shooting in Orlando. Below, get up close and personal with the CK Pride gang as they share the moment that defined their queer life.

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Honey Dijon

(she/her)

Photographed by Matt Lambert in Berlin

 

“The first time in my life that someone had seen me before I saw myself… It was another trans woman that said to me, ‘You belong in a skirt.’ I realized at that moment that I could exist.”

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Arca

(she/her)

Photographed by Gorka Postigo in Barcelona

“The first time that I gave myself permission to cruise. In that moment of connection, I felt a vitality. I felt free of a doubt… excited for what was to come.”

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Isaac Cole Powell

(he/him)

Photographed by Ryan McGinley in New York City

“My hand just crept down my thigh, waiting for it to brush up against him. It finally did. It was like electricity. My whole body was flashing colors. I knew there was no going back after that.”

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Raisa Flowers

(she/her)

Photographed by Ryan McGinley in New York City

“When I was in Catholic school…when I first shaved my head. My principal was like, ‘We need to watch her because she’s going to be wild.’ I felt like a badass.”

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King Princess

(pronoun-fluid)

Photographed by Collier Schorr in New York City

“I started to realize that I was part of this tapestry of queer people that have made really powerful, moving work. When I realized that, everything made sense.”

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Omar Ayuso

(he/him)

Photographed by Gorka Postigo in Barcelona

“When I told my mother…I thought she would be shocked and make some big scene. She said, ‘Okay, I’ll get some tickets for The Sound of Music.’”