Miss J Alexander speaks at Guelph
O
n Mar. 2, one would expect the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre to be filled with training athletes, students playing intramural with friends, and the few folks who haven’t fallen off their New Years’ resolutions just yet. However, that night, the Events Centre was brimming with excitement as fashion lovers and runway fans alike gathered to hear a keynote address from Miss J. Alexander: model, author, designer, former America’s Next Top Model judge, runway coach, and “Queen of the Catwalk” according to Tyra Banks.
Starting at 7 p.m., the keynote served as the cornerstone event for Black History Month at the University of Guelph. The event was presented by U of G’s Cultural Diversity Office in collaboration with Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, as well as McMaster University’s Equity and Inclusion Office, and it was intended as a way to create a conversation around experiences related to the intersecting identities of blackness and queerness within the fashion industry — an industry that is often severely lacking in diversity and representation.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheer when Miss J entered the venue, clad in black patent leather. A show-stopping long coat punctuated the whole look, with checkered red and black sequins that shimmered and rippled with each step, appearing more like water than fabric.
After sitting down, he immediately told us, “I have zero filter. So girls, get ready.”
Miss J dove right into his stories about growing up in the South Bronx. His earliest experiences with fashion consisted of messing around with his older siblings’ clothing and taking items apart to make new garments all his own. Even from a young age, tearing down the boundaries between clothing and gender seemed to come naturally to him; it is easy to see how this unapologetic boldness would be an asset in the fashion world, where divergence from the straight, white, cisgender status quo is often disparaged. And it seems to have done him well.
“I went where I wanted to go. I didn’t let anyone tell me where not to go. My black ass just showed up.”
— Miss J Alexander
Outside of his work as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, Miss J has made a name as a runway genius, coaching models such as Naomi Campbell and Kimora Lee Simmons and working with designers like Chanel and Alexander McQueen.
Yet, despite his prestige, he seamlessly transitioned between public speaker and close friend, often breaking off to make playful jokes, digs at phones ringing and cute outfits in the audience, and tangents that led into other stories.
His work took him to a multitude of locations, including Milan, London, Finland, and Paris, where he lives now, and his tales about working with models from all around the world and seeing beauty on every level, were awe-striking.
“I went where I wanted to go. I didn’t let anyone tell me where not to go. My black ass just showed up.”
Despite the industry’s many flaws, Miss J sees hope for the fashion world. He cites celebrities such as Laverne Cox and Billy Porter making huge strides by being unapologetic about who they are, despite the negativity and media-related pressure. Among news of the environmental degradation of fast fashion and the severe lack of diversity on runways, those who make their own spaces within these sectors are breaking boundaries and paving the way for many more to follow, changing the very makeup of the entertainment world.
During a time where conversations around diversity and representation within media are at the forefront of the entertainment industry, especially regarding intersecting identities surrounding race, gender, and sexuality, Miss J was a breath of fresh air. He blurred the line between keynote and comedy, making folks comfortable enough to laugh along with him and open up about their own struggles.
The keynote continued until around 9 p.m., ending with a question period, where audience members asked for advice, talked about media representation, and even requested a runway tutorial. Miss J ended the event by stressing the importance of self-agency and changing the social makeup of barrier-ridden groups by making one’s presence a statement in and of itself.
I caught up with Miss J after the event, and I asked him what his favourite thing about Guelph has been. Without missing a beat, he says, “The students. All these students, who want to change the world.”
Photo by Liaba Nisar
A version of this article appeared in print in The Ontarion issue 188.3 on March 12, 2020
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