One February during New York Fashion Week, rays of sunlight poured through the windows of Chelsea’s Pier 59 Studios, setting off a glimmer of rhinestonesacross the buttof a belly-bearing gray velour tracksuit.
As the model Maya Monés, her ’60s-inspired shoulder-length wig flipped upwardat the ends, made the customary spin at the edge of the catwalk, she brushed her palms across two short words spelled out by the gems, the declaration of a singular presence: “No Sesso.” With that fall 2019 show, No Sesso’s lead designer, Pierre Davis, became the first trans woman to present a collection on the official New York Fashion Week calendar(though other nonbinary and trans designers, including Gogo Graham, had shown off-schedule during previous.