Gender euphoric fantasy: Naarm-based label Pussy Pour Homme is hot to go

WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU

Sexy energy and comedic fantasy.

It’s Leo season for Pussy Pour Homme all year round. The Melbourne label – headed up by friends, collaborators and multidisciplinary creatives Ella Maximillion and Chris Rawson – embodies sexy confidence and unabashed queerness. Offering soft garments and leather goods, Pussy Pour Homme is a haven for experimentation and tongue-in-cheek play. “She is confident, loves the adoration of her peers and exudes sexy energy,” Ella and Chris say.

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At two years old, Pussy Pour Homme is well and truly fulfilling what it set out to do: it’s become a label that locally makes garments for queer folk, particularly trans creatives, to realise their full selves. Oh, and the pair are on the lookout for sugar daddies to help with production costs, if anyone has a lead.

Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?

Bonjour! Our names are Ella Maximillion and Chris Rawson and we run Pussy Pour Homme (PPH) together. Outside of our label, Ella is a fashion photographer and Chris designs clothes for various other brands.

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What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?

Through the project, we explore gender euphoria and celebrate [the] queer experience through our garments. We find that the best way to communicate our ideas is through not only beauty, but humour and storytelling. We really focus on the world-building aspect of the label; we want someone who is wearing PPH to feel like they are transported to and have become a part of that world. The Pussy buckle is designed to feel like a talisman that can open a portal to take you to that realm.

How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?

First of all, Pussy Pour Homme is a Leo. She is confident, loves the adoration of her peers and exudes sexy energy. She can border on delusion, but in her own world she is the moment, and that energy flows out to become her reality. We try to imbue each piece with this energy and we love seeing people embody this when they put on one of our pieces and the Leo takes over. So, in a nutshell: Garments and leather goods that are locally made and gender euphoric, and exude comedic fantasy.

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What are you most proud of in your work on your label?

We are most proud of being able to make queer stories and trans talent the forefront of the project. The best part is the opportunity to create with our community. We have so much fun working together and looping in our amazing friends and peers. We can execute our deluded ideas of grandeur through humourous photoshoots. It is extremely encouraging to see that our message is being understood and people are embracing it, without us having to compromise our vision.

What do you wish you knew when you started?

We wish we both had sugar daddies to help with production costs! We are both committed to producing locally and ethically, which can become very costly, very quickly.

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Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?

Local designers Bouquet are the fit experts; [they’re] the most considered, locally made streetwear [label] that connects with community through a techno party series. Posture Studios is renowned for [its] experimental screenprinting and inspired sportswear couture. Ka-he does the best locally made denim and owner Kacy Heywood uplifts emerging designers with her store Error 404. And our bestie Mikaela Stafford also constantly moves us with her techno-biophilia-inspired 3D art.

Go-to dinner party playlist?

On the Pussy Pour Homme playlist you’ll find mixes by [our] favourite DJs Kia, Mirasia, Tanya Akinola, Monique Tya (to name a few). We love Arca, Eartheater, Cherry Chola [and] Lady Gaga (!!). Lately, of course, [there’s been] a lot of Charli.