There are few drag queens who have as big an influence on drag culture than Divine.
Divine was an actor, performer and drag queen. She worked as a woman’s hairdresser in her early life and performed in several films most notably John Waters’ Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. People Magazine have described Divine as “Drag Queen of the century”.
Today, June 25, a limited-edition capsule collection and museum exhibition from Spanish house Loewe celebrates the life and legacy of “the most beautiful woman in the world, almost.”
In the midst of a unique and unusual Pride month, the exhibition will take place online with Loewe only making a streamlined selection of pieces from the collection to buy for now.
15% of proceeds of the collection will go to Visual Aids, an art-led organisation which fights HIV/Aids by provoking dialogue, supporting artists living with HIV, and preserving history and legacy. The collection will also support Baltimore Pride.
This project has been an exciting creative challenge,” says Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. “It is a celebration of creative freedom and challenging the world order. That’s what Divine was all about: creating his own incredible world, no matter what. Now more than ever, that’s what we all should do.”
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The virtual exhibition features a vast array of memorabilia and photographs shot by photographer Greg Gorman and is bursting with “colour, trash, fantasy, outrage, glamour, and freedom”.
Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT+ community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks, and songs. Various books and documentary films devoted to his life have also been produced, including Divine Trash and I Am Divine.
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“He pre-empted the glorification of trash, the mix of high and low, the fantastic erasure of gender barriers,” says Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. “I thought it was time to celebrate him, the Loewe way.”
Loewe’s Divine Limited Collection and digital exhibition launch on June 25, 2020.
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