Aimee Seu
Age: 27
Occupation: Author and poet
The look: Gifted overalls, thrifted T-shirt, Ada Chen earrings, Muccha painting pendant from a roadside flea market
“I’m half Korean, one-fourth Native American, and one-fourth French-Canadian, so I’ve never felt able to easily fit in or blend into the crowd; maybe I leaned into that feeling of alienation and hodgepodge-ness in my clothing choices because I rarely ever ‘match’ in a traditional way. In addition to my racial background, as a pansexual person, my clothes and I exist at another crux: the extremes of masculine and feminine. I love combining things that feel dirty or grungy or tough with something very soft and femme.”
La’Tasha Strother
Age: 36
Occupation: Author of Tripod Manifesto and professional nanny
The look: Heels from Marshall’s, secondhand handmade dress, gifted earrings
“These clothes disclose my testimony. These heels tell of where I have been, and they stand in hopes of where I am going. These heels are not ashamed of their melanin nor am I. This dress addresses my desire to flow like water. It testifies that I am not afraid to be seen or to be covered.”
Ebe Lakrad
Age: 40
Occupation: Artist, leather craftsman (ebeleather.com),
and full-time recycler
The look: Flea market finds (“Flea markets are my paradise and the source of my pure happiness.”)
“What I wear represents my own culture, people I meet, and places I go. I meet artists and recyclers like me from around the world—I go look for them. Some I speak their languages and most I don’t, so I try to transform their energies into something visible. Whether it’s a large city like Marrakesh, Paris, Amsterdam, or Istanbul, or a tiny village in nowhere, our mission is to make (through clothes, and craft, and beauty) mainly international energy.”
Leney Breeden
Age: 29
Occupation: Photographer and owner of Folkling,
a vintage shop in Gordonsville
The look: Handmade (by Leney) dress from a 1920s quilt topper, 1950s hunting jacket, her mom’s bandana, vintage feedsack-
turned-tote bag, Hunter boots
“I dress entirely from a secondhand/handmade wardrobe and believe strongly in the ethics surrounding those decisions in regards to our fast, fashion-normalized society. I also dress largely out of nostalgia. Most of my clothing has a lot of sentimentality tied up in it. Apart from that, I often push against the societal expectation that I have to dress a particular way, or in a particular style. I enjoy wearing a mixture of men’s and women’s clothing just because I enjoy the various dichotomies of different articles of clothing. Most often you can find me in a pair of old jeans, ragged T-shirt, well-worn boots, and one
of my many felt hats.”
Charlottesville Street Style is a collaboration between 434 and Playground of Empathy, a local team that transforms organizational cultures to be more inclusive through immersive POV technology that celebrates expression through clothing and identity. Follow @cvillefashion on Instagram.