by Theo Korstanje - July 2023
Despite non binary fashion becoming more mainstream in recent years, it is still difficult for a lot of people to find clothing inspiration that is free from the default attachment of gender binary. Luckily, there are a number of non binary fashion influencers on social media that we can turn to for inspiration. In this article, we are looking at 11 of them who are mainly active on Instagram and/or Tiktok. These influencers all have different styles which showcase the neverending possibility of gender neutral/fluid fashion.
Non Binary Fashion Influencers
Jamie Windust
@jamie_windust
First up on our list is “author, broadcaster, and model”, Jamie Windust. Windust is best known for their unique look, as well as their contributions to The Gay Times, as well as their book In Their Shoes. Windust has also spoken at TedXLondon, with a speech entitled “Support for trans people isn't radical - it's urgent”. Windust’s book shows their perspective on non-binary identity, and the fact that it’s ultimately up to each individual to decide what it means to them, and how to shape it.
This perspective is showcased in Windust’s unique, gender neutral style. They mostly dress in masculine presenting clothing, often wearing suits paired with turtlenecks, as seen in their recent Tiktok series, “Come & Have Dinner With Me”. These outfits are usually accessorized with a collection of rings, a purse, and Windust’s signature wide-rimmed glasses. While this is their standard, everyday look, they certainly aren’t afraid to dress up in statement pieces paired with bold makeup when the occasion calls for it. Take their Ted talk, for example, which saw Windust in a long sleeve black gown with a tulle black skirt. The look was completed by their makeup, which was a base coat of pale white foundation, with pink and blue contouring, and bright red lipstick – making for a truly unforgettable visage when combined with their signature style.
Keys to Jamie Windust’s style: Patterned suits, colorful turtlenecks, and wide-rimmed glasses.
Alok Vaid-Menon
@alokvmenon
Alok Vaid-Menon is a poet, comedian, speaker, and author. They have released 3 books called, Femme in Public, Beyond the Gender Binary, and Your Wound / My Garden. They are also a performing artist, with a live show that combines poetry readings with stand-up comedy. They are the creator of the hashtag #degenderfashion, which seeks to further normalize fully nonbinary clothing. They are one of the most well-known non-binary influencers, having amassed over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, largely thanks to their unique fashion sense.
Their book Being Femme in Public gives insight into what to expect from Alok’s style. Their looks are often very feminine, wearing colorful dresses and statement pieces of jewelry. The bold patterns and bright colors seen in almost all their clothes are Alok’s signature style. As if this wasn’t enough color, their colorful clothes are usually complemented with dyed hair in a wide range of colors. Alok will occasionally post more casual looks, forgoing the statement pieces, and opting for a simple outfit of a graphic tee and shorts instead.
Keys to Alok’s Style: Bright colors, bold patterns, and statement jewelry
Karol Rodriguez
@karolscorner
Karol Rodriguez is a New York City-based makeup artist and beauty expert. As they say, their artistic pursuits involve using makeup to explore colors and textures. This is combined with their identity ”as a first-generation with Latinx roots (Dominican and Peruvian), identifying as non-binary and openly queer,” which they believe contributes to their ability to create such vibrant looks. As stated on their website, “Karol uses their platform to share their makeup expertise, speak on mental health, and create conversations surrounding gender and sexual identity.”
Karol’s style is heavily defined by their makeup. The majority of their content involves showing off their transformations from fresh-faced to fully made up in a wide array of styles. The rest of their style is significantly more subdued than their makeup, but still shows ways to put together simple yet effective outfits. Karol’s fashion is largely made up of simple combinations like patterned button-ups, shorts, and sneakers. For more fun, dressy looks they will opt for a bright halter top paired with neutral trousers, or something like a colorful blazer and white t-shirt. They can also be seen accessorizing looks with crossbody bags, and baseball caps.
Keys to Karol Rodriguez’s style: Simple, everyday pieces pairing bright colors with neutrals
Jacinda Pender
@adultsdrink
Jacinda Pender is a makeup artist and model from Tennessee, now based out of Los Angeles. They go by the handle @adultsdrinking and have amassed over 100,000 followers on Instagram. They have used their platform to highlight important causes such as BLM, also being an advocate that “solidarity should go beyond the internet”. When asked about their perspective on beauty, they say, “beauty to me means freedom and vulnerability.” As a model, they are currently signed to Margaux the Agency.
Their style is mostly defined by their dynamic makeup looks, especially the further you scroll down their feed, but their fashion has taken more focus recently. The outfits they post on their Instagram are often revealing, lingerie-inspired looks, which one caption describes as “sensual, sensational, stunning, and soft.” Living in LA, they can also frequently be seen in brightly colored 2 piece swimsuits. Their looks are usually complemented by several piercings, including eyebrow and septum rings.
Keys to Jacinda Pender’s style: Lingerie-style tops, swimsuits, nose and eyebrow piercings.
Ali, Sweet Mutuals
@sweetmutuals
Ali, who goes by Sweet Mutuals, is a self-taught makeup artist who has used their creativity to propel them to great heights in the fashion industry. They have some of the most daring and creative looks on our list and have a well-earned following of over 140k on Instagram. They have gone on to create looks for pop stars such as Rina Sawayama and Solange Knowles. Their style has been described as having a “limitless, innovative, unique, and one-of-a-kind energy”.
While Ali’s makeup is undoubtedly at the forefront of their looks, their fashion sense stands out on its own as well. They are most frequently seen in revealing, low cut dresses for flirty summer looks. They can just as easily pull off classic beauty as well as experimenting with it, with one post showing them in the woods in a beautiful flowing ball gown. For a more casual look, Ali will go for something like a skirt, sweater, and sports jacket completed with platform boots and a fuzzy hat.
Keys to Sweet Mutuals style: Colorful, summery dresses for going out, and simple sweater/skirt combinations for more casual looks.
Ayman Syed
@thekillermonsta
Ayman Syed is a makeup artist and digital creator based out of Dallas, Texas. They recently walked in the first ever South Asian New York Fashion Week, feeling honored that they were able to do so as a self-described “queer, Pakistani, plus size” person. They frequently post support to all the queer Muslims out there, which is a largely underrepresented group, making Syed a very important voice in the community.
Syed’s looks are representative of their unique identity and culture. In their photoshoots, they are often seen in gorgeous saris completed with henna, and a nath among other pieces of jewelry. These are stunning outfits that aren’t showcased as often in queer settings, making Syed’s posts that much more impactful. Their looks aren’t as experimental as some of the other folks on our list, instead, they lean into tradition and are simple and elegant. While most often seen in traditional outfits for photoshoots, Ayman can also be seen in more subdued outfits like simple sweaters, or dresses.
Keys to Ayman Syed’s style: Traditional colorful saris accessorized with jewelry like a nath.
Jonathan Van Ness
@jvn
The most easily recognized person featured on our list, Jonathan Van Ness – commonly referred to as JVN – has nearly 6 million followers on Instagram. Their rise to fame came after their star-making turn on Queer Eye, where their bright and bubbly personality quickly won over everyone who watched the show. A hairdresser by trade, Van Ness now runs their own hair care line. On top of this, they are an author (Love That Story, Over the Top, Peanut Goes for the Gold) podcaster (Getting Curious), and performer.
When Queer Eye began, JVN tended to dress more masculine, but over the years they have begun wearing more feminine clothing, especially at events. While their style touches every part of the gender spectrum, they are most frequently seen in elegant ball gowns and full faces of makeup in their public appearances. For everyday looks, they can be seen in more simple, masculine presenting outfits like a long sleeve shirt and jeans – poking fun at the simplicity of this outfit, JVN captioned the post “she’s wearing jeans”
Keys to JVN’s style: Colorful patterned dresses and gowns of all different silhouettes for formal settings, and simple sweater and jean combos for everyday wear.
Chella Man
@chellaman
Chella Man is an artist, director, author, and philosopher, who seeks to use their work to speak on “disability, race, gender, and sexuality.” Man recently published their first book Continuum, which highlights their experience as a “deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color, and shows us that identity lies on a continuum”. One of their most recent projects is a short film entitled The Device That Turned Me Into A Cyborg Was Born The Same Year I Was, which seeks to explore Man’s relationship with the cochlear implant meant to improve hearing for deaf people.
While Chella Man’s primary focus is on creating meaningful art, they have an undeniably captivating look as well. In a recent red carpet appearance, Man showed up with a fun play on a suit and tie, opting for a shirtless look with their blazer and trousers, complete with a fully bedazzled necktie. Their everyday looks are often simple and subdued, usually consisting of something like a simple white tank top and loose-fitting pants.
Keys to Chella Man’s style: White T-shirts, and simple pants or shorts for everyday wear, along with plenty of shirtless looks.
Devin-Norelle
@steroidbeyonce
Devin-Norelle is a model, and trans advocate, as well as the host of PBS’s Brave Spaces. Ze is also a writer who has been published in GQ, Teen Vogue, and many more. On Brave Spaces, Devin-Norelle seeks to explore “LGBTQ+ stories of triumph, transformation, and celebration”. As a model, Devin-Norellse has walked in New York Fashion Week, for brands such as Chromat and dapperQ. The model who goes by @steroidbeyonce on Instagram regularly uses zis platform of nearly 50k followers to promote important issues regarding queer people.
Devin-Norelle’s style is often casual and simple, as seen in Brave Spaces. Ze is often wearing something like a pastel purple t-shirt paired with black overalls, accessorized with a septum ring and a simple necklace. In everyday looks, ze is often seen in similar styles, like a simple white t-shirt paired with colorful shorts, and sunglasses. For a more bold look, Devin-Norelle was recently featured in a Smirnoff commercial, as a self-described “fire hot cowboy”. This look saw the model wearing pink boots, green leather pants, yellow cowboy hat, complete with a metallic body harness. Ze also frequently posts shirtless photos, proudly displaying zir body – one recent post celebrated zis 10th anniversary of top surgery, showing Devin-Norelle’s journey of self-acceptance to where ze is today.
Keys to Devin-Norelle’s style: Pastels, simple jewelry, and a signature septum ring
ZYI
@eyeofzyi
Zyi is a tattoo artist and model based out of LA signed to the same modeling agency as Jacinda Pender, Margaux the Agency. They themselves are covered in tattoos including bold pieces on their face and neck, with one notable piece of ink being their name on their collarbone. These tattoos add an edge to their look that’s completed by their close cropped curly hairstyle. They post their recent tattoo designs on their artist page, @zyitattoo.
In terms of style, Zyi keeps it simple for the most part, with their tattoos often taking center stage in their looks. They are most commonly seen in simple combinations of black or white tank tops combined with jeans. You can find them in more daring looks, going full goth with baggy jean shorts, fishnet stockings, and a leather vest. Their piercings often stand out as well, often wearing multiple earrings at a time, as well as having several nose and eyebrow piercings.
Keys to ZYI’s style: Simple tank top and jean combos, goth inspired chain jewelry, multiple earrings.
Grace Valentine
@imnotgrace
Grace Valentine is an American model based out of New York signed to Chapter Management. They have spoken about their struggles being non-binary in the fashion industry and the need to expand diversity beyond what we see today – not just in terms of gender, but race and body types as well. As they have also said, modeling clothing is a chance to perform different roles, showing that any piece can fit into a non-binary person’s wardrobe.
Grace’s everyday fashion is simple and streetwear inspired. They can regularly be seen in simple pieces like graphic tees and puffer jackets, frequently accessorizing with sunglasses. Their runway looks are often more feminine presenting, as they are most often modeling women’s fashion, most commonly wearing dresses.
Keys to Grace Valentine’s style: Simple streetwear pieces, dark sunglasses, the occasional bright statement piece
Conclusion
What’s so special about non binary fashion influencers featured in this article is the vast range they have in their looks. From clothing and styling to hair and makeup – no two non binary people are the same, and regardless of how you identify, there’s no wrong way to express yourself.
Do you like this article? If you do, you may also be interested in: Beauty Influencers at the Forefront of Non Binary Beauty
Theo Korstanje is a writer from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. When he’s not writing, he’s either cycling around, training jiu jitsu, or tending to his garden.