Michael Kors
Can you tell us why we are here tonight?
Tonight is about introducing the New York fashion community to an incredible new project. It’s the first LGBTQ+ museum in the United States. It’ll be opening in 2028 on Central Park West at the New York Historical Society.
And, obviously, the fashion community has been so intertwined with the LGBTQ+ community. And it’s long overdue. I’m really excited that we’re gonna have this space to tell our story for generations to come.
Why is this collaboration with this museum important to you?
Growing up, I was fortunate to be in a family where everyone was very accepting and nurturing, but even still, in my family, I still had to deal with coming to terms with my own sexuality when I was a kid and then announcing you want to be a fashion designer. A lot of people might say, ‘Really?” “Is that a real job?” “Do men do that?”
Hopefully, kids who can come to New York with their families and go to the museum, maybe they’ll be able to say to their family, “Look at what this community has contributed to the world and culture at large.” And the exhibits will travel.
So you don’t only have to come to New York, the exhibits will come to you also. So that’s exciting.
Ben Garcia
Can you tell us a bit about this exciting new project?
We’re here to announce a new cultural landmark for New York City, which is the American LGBTQ+ museum. We are a National Museum of Queer History and trans history, and we will be opening in two years at the New York Historical.
Our building was just completed, and we’re in a two year development process to build our collections, plan our first opening exhibitions. And so this is an introduction to the fashion community because of the importance of clear community to this industry and the importance of fashion to queer people. We’re definitely going to be looking at rotating exhibitions on topics that are of interest to the fashion world.
We’re talking about a Rudy Gernreich exhibition that we might do in collaboration with the Fashion Institute in L.A. And just thinking a lot about…Bill Cunningham and other iconic figures in the fashion world who are important as part of our history.
Why the collaboration with Michael Kors?
Michael and Lance are unusual philanthropists. When they invest in a cause, they really invest with every part. They bring their networks in. Both of them joined our Board of Trustees.
They’ve made a gift and named a wing of the museum. They’re extraordinary philanthropists, but also, Michael is a really important figure in queer history. One of the first fashion designers who, for his whole career, lived out and proud.
And someone who just has such an incredible appreciation, both for the importance and the seriousness of our history, but also for the fun, and in his words, the sizzle, that we need to bring. It’s part of our joy and the gift of being queer is the creativity and the joy that we bring.
And last thing, can you tell us when the museum opens?
The museum is gonna open in two years in 2028. You don’t have the exact date yet, but it will be sometime between May and September.
