Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Australian-Filipino artist and musician, Chela
IMAGE VIA @CHELAETC/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Being queer has influenced my sense of style immensely… queers think outside of the box because they have had to.”
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years), so we’ve introduced a new series Hey, I Like Your Style!, diving into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.
While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our own personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. This week, we’re delving into the personal style journey of Australian-Filipino artist and musician, Chela.
Having just released her single, ‘Cool 2B Queer’, the Eora-based musician has debuted a fresh look – consisting of a schoolboy-esque shirt and tie, calf-length gym socks, winged eyeliner and multiple tiny ponytails. But despite the new outfit and an almost decade-long discography, Chela doesn’t feel like much has changed. “I still look like a silly little boy”, she says. Read on for her style journey.
Who are you and what do you like to wear?
I’m a multiracial, multisexual, multidisciplinary artist named Chela. My wardrobe mostly consists of op shop treasures, vintage designer pieces and offerings from loved ones.
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What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
When I look back 10 years and then 20 years, I feel like not much has changed. I still look like a silly little boy. My mum taught me and my sister the joys of thrifting from a young age. She had used it as a method of survival when she moved to Australia from the Philippines as a teenager to study. We still thrift with our mum whenever we get the chance. It’s the feeling of the find that is probably worth more than the clothing itself.
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The story behind a garment holds a lot of value to me. I’m a believer that it’s not necessarily what you wear but how you wear it. I think I’ve luckily always had confidence in dressing myself, and have found such great pleasure in expressing my identity through clothing. However, I’ve definitely been on a journey in terms of gender representation, I was much more of a tomboy in my twenties [and] now I embrace my womanhood a lot more. With time, I’ve also enjoyed being able to afford the designers I idolised when I was younger.
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Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
Perhaps when I was a kid, I felt a pressure to look and act like a second version of my sister who is three years older than me and more classically beautiful. So, when my parents broke up and I finally gained more independence around the age of 15, I did everything I could to look different to my sister. I cut my hair short and became more masculine.
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I started listening to more punk music and taking drugs. I evolved both inside and out. These were probably my most formative years. I became obsessed with looking/feeling different to other people in general. Now that is impossible because of the internet… there’s rarely a sense of original style anymore, RIP. But my sense of pride has also died down and I care much less. I realise that two people can wear the same outfit, but a personality wears clothes even better than a body can.
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
I regret ever feeling like I had to look pretty for boys, plainly. It’s wild how differently you are perceived by men when you walk down the street in a short skirt, compared to a pair of pants. I think I’ve always preferred feeling invisible compared to being gawked at for sexy reasons. If someone is staring at me because they think I look strange or funny though, if I’m entertaining or confusing them, that’s fine with me.
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What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
I have a two-dollar black vest from the Opera House costume sale that happens every few years and it’s the most worn item in my closet. It goes with almost anything and has huge pockets I like to use instead of a bag when I go out for a skate. The tag says TROY A WOOD, so I guess that would have been the name of the performer who it was made for. Thanks, Troy! And the most expensive item would be either my vintage Courrèges padded-shoulder, soft leather trench coat or my vintage Thierry Mugler batwing soft leather jacket.
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What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
That’s a hard one because I own a lot of clothing that once belonged to my loved ones, such as my Mum’s wedding dress and my Dad’s ’80s Nike blue tracksuit that reminds me of how strong I thought he was when I was a kid. I wear it anytime I feel like I need spiritual plus physical comfort. Something that has meant a lot to me lately is my grandad’s black and brown chequered button-up shirt, which is worth probably $10 honestly but is priceless to me. He passed away last year aged 101.
As a queer person, how is clothing tied to your identity and self-expression?
Well, queers have historically used clothing as a mode of survival, to discreetly signal to potential lovers and avoid risks of being outed, abused and/or arrested. A great example is the Doc Martens black boot, which was widely adopted by lesbians in the ’70s and ’80s, as well as hanging a carabiner on your belt loop. While these traditions mean so much and have been carried on by lots of current-day queers, I also love when folx look ‘normal’ as can be but are gay as hell.
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I like when normal and gay are two words that are put together. In regard to my personal style, being queer has influenced my sense of style immensely. I think the essence of queerness also ties in with the essence of craftiness. Queers think outside of the box because they have had to. So a queer often has the ability to turn a drab house furnishing into a couture masterpiece, within a few minutes. Needless to say, I don’t look at lampshades the same way anymore.
You’ve just launched a new single, ‘Cool 2B Queer’. Can you tell us about the release and accompanying music video?
I wrote the song pre-pandemic and held onto it for years before releasing it. In the meantime, I started working with my dream team, Spinning Top, who are from my hometown Fremantle and are also based in LA where I lived for many years. They believed in the song, so they facilitated the release and the video, which I co-directed with my friend Tilly Robba who I also drew ‘The Incest Map’ on Heartbreak High with. The video is a camp commentary on pink dollar-ism and the commodification of queerness.
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What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
Oh, my secret Depop account is FULL of wishlist items from far and beyond. I’m in the market for some Yohji Yamamoto S/S 2002 boxing shoes and a gold wedding band. I’m also gaggin’ to find myself a pair of the old Tony Lama cowboy-boot sneakers. They are so cheekily rare!
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
Martine Rose shoes of all kinds, I’m almost a collector now. Leather motorcycle pants from Swop, denim two-piece suit from Wrangler, Givenchy gold and silver spear earrings, Yohji Yamamoto zipper dress from Kot-J, stripey socks from Paddy’s Markets in all different colours, patterned men’s shirts from Shag Melbourne and my Chela capsule collection merch, duh!
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Who are your favourite local designers?
I adore Stella Vendetta for their upcycled masterpieces, Post Hunk for their recycled tablecloth designs, Lucinda Babi for her imagination and hues, Song For The Mute for their quality and craftiness, Garbage TV for their shapes and graphics and Haus of Helmutti for being the hot, cult community uniform (if you know you know).
Listen to Chela’s new single ‘Cool 2B Queer’ here.
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