Episode Summary
In this episode of QueerHustle, Roberto Musso sits down with entrepreneur and activist, Noël Gordon. Noël is the owner and general manager of Reparations Media & Apparel, the political art and streetwear brand that puts race in your face. It is the mission of Reparations Media and Apparel to provoke conversations about racial injustice and inequality while building points of connection between strangers. Roberto and Noël discuss the current socio-political climate, the recent contentious U.S. election and the importance of promoting universal values across all communities.
What we covered
00:57– Introducing today’s guest, Noël Gordon, who talks about his business, Reparations Media & Apparel and their goal of promoting racial justice and equality
03:55 – Noël speaks to the design aspect of Reparations Media & Apparel and the inclusive nature of this company
08:01 – Noël talks about the recent 2020 U.S. election and shares his hopes for the future
13:45 – Noël shares his excitement for the future of Reparations Media & Apparel and how they will be engaging with the community
16:43 – Noël stresses the importance of celebrating black and queer entrepreneurs
21:03 – Where listeners can follow Noël and Reparations Media & Apparel
20:00 – Advice Noël would give to her former self and aspiring entrepreneurs
Tweetable Quotes
“My marketing professor sometimes says that, ‘you either go to the market, or the market comes to you.’ And the market has come to us in the last six to nine months in part due to the fact that a lot more people have been made aware of racial… Click To Tweet “We’re driven by queer theory, leftist politics and a radically refreshing hope for the future.” Click To Tweet “I think it just speaks to how universal the values of equality and justice are and how they transcend race and gender and sexual orientation. And that’s ultimately what our clothes are about. We want our clothes to be worn by anyone at any time. And I… Click To Tweet “To be honest with you I think Joe Biden, in many ways, is a return to the status quo which wasn’t working for a lot of people before Donald Trump. It wasn’t working for people in my community and it wasn’t working for people I know in communities… Click To Tweet “Our designs start from the community. They start in the grassroots. And then they bubble up to a surface where we then create them and put them back out into the community.” Click To Tweet “I think, for starters, the idea of telling your story and wearing your story on your sleeve is a distinctly queer value.” Click To Tweet
Links Mentioned
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