Courtesy photo
Artists
Vicky and Charisse Pasche
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Vicky and Charisse Pasche founded Dapper Boi in 2015 during their honeymoon — in part as a response to Vicky’s struggle to find clothes that fit her body and matched her masculine style. Now boasting $4.5 million in lifetime sales and more than 35,000 customers, Dapper Boi is a leading e-commerce brand providing stylish clothing for people of all body types and gender identities.
Dapper Boi is a successful business, but it also has a higher mission for its lesbian cofounders. “We’re not just trying to change the way we view fashion; we’re trying to change the way we view each other,” the Pasches say. “We are all people beyond labels and categories…what matters most is feeling at home in your own skin, feeling like you’re being seen and accepted not for what you are but who you are. And while clothing may not be the answer, it’s certainly a catalyst. Clothing that fits our authentic selves can imbue confidence, inspire change, and help us show up in the world at our best.”
The Pasches are proud this year to have showcased their brand on ABC’s Shark Tank, which was “a validating win to be aired on mainstream television.” The brand’s recent success was made even more impactful by the obstacles it faced in 2022, when COVID-related supply chain issues threatened to derail it. The couple even sold their home to keep Dapper Boi afloat. “We stayed grounded and on a mission to find the right connections and investors, and now we are here, stronger than ever, and with our heads held high.”
“We are not a charity case or a diversity box to check,” they stress. “We are powerful. We are resilient. And we belong. Remember your why, and continue on your path to your own authenticity by connecting with kindness and confidence.” @dapperboi
Artists
Troye Sivan
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Photo by Stuart Winecoff
It’s been five years since Troye Sivan’s second studio album, Bloom, was released to much acclaim. And Something to Give Each Other, which came out this October, was well worth the wait.
Sivan and his art routinely spark conversation in pop and LGBTQ+ culture. “Rush,” the album’s lead single that dropped in July, is no exception. It became (along with Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam”) the queer song of the summer. The steamy music video, an explosion of dancing, abs, and hedonism, unleashed its own rush of think pieces about popper use and body diversity in queer spaces.
Sivan, who as an actor had a role this year on The Idol — Max’s much-skewered scripted show on pop stardom— also made headlines for his candor this year. He revealed on the High Low podcast that, despite the reputation he received from 2018’s “Bloom,” which was widely received as a bottom anthem, he is, in fact, not a “power bottom.”
Whatever his preferences, Sivan has proven himself a versatile artist. The release of Something to Give Each Other was Troye’s proudest accomplishment of 2023 — along with the launch of Tsu Lange Yor. The Australian lifestyle and homeware brand, for which Sivan serves as creative director, sells candles and scents as well as home objects. “My brother and I started it together, had to trust our guts, find incredible people to work with, and have learnt so much along the way,” the 28-year-old says.
In art and in life, Sivan remains inspired by his community. “Through so much adversity, the LGBTQ+ community pushes to be a safe space for all — pulled together by pillars of love, support, chosen family, and freedom,” he says. “Queer people everywhere need to be protected and be able to celebrate themselves as loudly as they want.” @troyesivan