The £10 bootleg tee that helped Chema Diaz tap the queer zeitgeist
The Spanish designer’s bejewelled t-shirts have become a staple for London’s queer party-goers. He gives GAY TIMES the lowdown on the scrappy story behind their cult status.
WORDS BY JAMIE WINDUST PHOTOGRAPHY BY RODRIGO BRANCO Welcome to Queer By Design, a monthly column by Jamie Windust.
Here, Jamie profiles emerging designers about the intersections of style, identity and expression and how these factors inform their creative practice. Many strive to capture the hedonism and freedom that queer folks experience on the dance floor.
Few do it as well as Spanish-born, London-based designer and DJ Chema Diaz. Dive into London’s nightlife scene and you’ll see his iconic ‘J’adore Hardcore’ t-shirt stretched across sweaty torsos everywhere you turn at the city’s warehouse parties and basement clubs.
