Despite a temperature that felt like 20 degrees and seven inches of fresh snow, MadMan Productions, Lipstick and Lace and producer John Fleming presented the 16th Annual STRUT Fashion Show on Nov. 30. The annual event marks World AIDS Day, which takes place Dec 1.
The show, held at Joe’s on Weed Street, 940 W. Weed Street., featured fashion designers from five countries including India, China, Mexico, the United States and England, with a spotlight on designers Raj Patel and Stephanie St. Jaymes. Clothing for the event was provided by boutiques and designers Maria Varela, Fiscal Motif, Studio Elite, Iridium, Kluger Furs, Hoachen Song, Karmic Couture, Men’s Warehouse, Mikey Smith, Courtney Lucansky, Thotbreaker, Men’s Underwear and Julia Sims. Designer Maria Varela served as emcee, with beats provided by DJ Lil’ John.
STRUT showcases young and emerging fashion designers while spotlighting health organizations that do behind-the-scenes-work toward reaching the milestone of zero new HIV infections in Illinois by 2030. This year’s edition benefitted Wellness Homes of Chicago, Chicago Women’s AIDS Project and Chicago Nurses in AIDS Care.
During the brief beneficiary comments before the show, Anu Hazra, MD, of Howard Brown Health and The University of Chicago said, “The past 10 months have been difficult for many who have felt the cruelty. Our solidarity and what we do is why we are here today.”
Cathy Christeller of Chicago Women’s AIDS Project said, “These are really perilous times and this (recognition) is heartening for everything we’ve ever worked for, including harm reduction, healthcare, reproductive rights, civil rights… Seeing these things ripped away is hard but all I can say is, silence equals death. … We cannot let ourselves be silenced. We have to ask for more…more housing, more healthcare, more gender equality. When we step back and are nice, we lose everything.”
Sponsors for STRUT 2025 included South Side Help Center, The Village, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, T-PAN, Alivio cu Rojo, Howard Brown Health, ViiV Healthcare, Vivant Health, Chicago Center for AIDS Prevention, ONYX Medical Wellness, JAM89 Radio and ONYX 360.
Photos by Vern Hester
