Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph are the dynamic behind No Sesso’s luxury fashion and streetwear crossover that admires glamour and Black womanhood. Their flair in fashion has welcomed authentic representations of non-binary people and Black trans women as well. Without a doubt, their bold aesthetics from dark lip liner to dolphin earrings is nothing out of a performance in fashion, it is their everyday life.

What are the advantages of producing work from Los Angeles, California? How has your everyday life in Los Angeles contributed to your cultural flair with No Sesso?

Pia Davis: Producing in LA helps us a lot because of the fashion district here, so those are hundreds of places to get fabric, materials, and trims. There are so many different showrooms and production houses. Most people that get their clothing made in America are getting their stuff done in LA.

For the most part, it is nice that we live here because we can have one-on-one or in-person conversations with contractors that we work with, which makes production a lot easier. Our studio is in the fashion district as well; just a couple of blocks away. The proximity is just really nice as we can just go around the corner and get things done that we need.

Autumn Randolph: We separate ourselves from designers in New York through the styling. We take our wear from our nightlife and our creations to transmute that into our collections. It is that streetstyle-to-runway type of lifestyle in addition to how fluid we are to wear whatever we want and what we stand for.

Davis: With California and our inspiration, it is the weather too. We can dress sexy all year around because it is not too cold. We love it. We can wear a bathing suit in December if we want to. Our brand also features jackets and overcoats which we would actually wear with a bathing suit.

How has your idea of culture pushed No Sesso forward and distinguished your design aesthetics from other non-binary brands?

Davis & Randolph: We believe that culture has always been like a big part of No Sesso. We are always inspired by our transitions from our childhood to our adulthood. We include a lot of our youth into collections whether it is hair aesthetics or different jewelry aesthetics that we intertwine. One of our collections called Ghetto Girl was based on that childhood moment when you get your first gold earrings like Door Knockers or The Dolphins.

The beauty and architecture of hair as well as glamour that exist among Black women. We have studied beauty and how we adorn Black bodies. We always pour our culture into collections, naturally, because we are inspired by our childhood. We focus on what high fashion is to us, which may be different from traditional high fashion. And for us, there is a high level of elegance and luxury too. Luxury is fresh cornrows and your biggest Dolphin earrings.

In what ways has collaborating among each other helped bring fresh ideas and alternative perspectives to fashion in America?

Davis: When Autumn and I collaborate, a lot of the time we are on the same wavelength. We definitely enhance each other’s creativity. Whether it is the focus on my patchwork or Autumn’s lingerie aesthetic, we bring our work together as one.

Oftentimes, we feed off of each other’s energy. There have been times when I was constructing a piece and we are both unconsciously focused on the same design with very few similarities. We will combine it.

Randolph: We really are thinking about the same things; yet, we actually challenge each other and just collide in a lovely way. It is always nice to see our unique worlds come together.

How has fashion at the intersection of performing arts amplified No Sesso’s presentations?

Randolph: Before I got with Pia to create No Sesso, I was thriving in performance arts. It helps us to kind of stay in our own lane and nurture that element of No Sesso. I realize that we have space and opportunity in that area to do what we love. It is like putting ingredients together to make a good gumbo.

Davis: No Sesso consists of different mediums of art and not just fashion design. There are a lot of brands, fashion designers, and fashion houses that are not traditional artists. Our gaze does not focus on the consumer first, instead we focus on challenging people’s minds first to create art with longevity as it will outlive us.

Randolph: And then also designing items that are changeable for people to have. We love to create different layers through different perspectives with No Sesso. There are even items that we create that are not for e-commerce, consumers, or even to be worn. A lot of our work is art that has been mixed with different disciplines, which has been great as well.

In what ways does No Sesso highlight beauty in a way that mirrors triumph and victory amongst Black trans women?

Davis: We do that by featuring the people that we cast our runway shows as well as the people that we work with. Last season, our make-up artist and our producer were great representations of Black and trans women among No Sesso. We have also featured models who identify as trans. Our casting is very natural and authentic as people can be super performative.

Randolph: It feels great too. They are very much top notch and we are sharing our seat to highlight their talents. We do not showcase fake diversity. If they are fab as we are fab, then there will be a link up and it is not forced.

Davis: To be honest, we have been inclusive since our very beginning. It is not new for us. For instance, when you are looking at our castings and our shows, you see authentic representation without a rainbow in sight. When you are looking at images, it is not just giving rainbow this and rainbow that, it is giving high fashion.

Randolph: It is just nice to work on the side of each other without placing ourselves above others. There is beauty that we see besides us as we work with everyone else in our space.

How is No Sesso advocating for actions that produce happiness while opposing actions that cause unhappiness? 

Randolph: LIBERATION! We believe in exuding liberation and truly living by that. Through design, we pay attention to the body and how beautiful the body can be without the over-sexualization of the body. The body is not just about sex. No Sesso shows how you do not have to fetishize the body but it is great to have admiration for the body. We will continue to bring that body positivity into our work.

Davis:  At our fashion presentations, we want people to walk away feeling liberated and happy. It is about not just showing looks. For us, it is about the energy and the feeling that you walk away with after you see our work. We want individuals to live with the same energy and feeling in their everyday life to be carefree and dress for themselves.

In Erkyah Badu’s song, “Bag Lady”, she suggests women to pack light instead of carrying a lot of baggage that keeps you from moving forward. What items would you two include in your No Sesso x Levi’s handbags in your everyday journey? How are those items significant to your journey in being recognized by CFDA and Vogue?

Davis: For my bag, I would have a dark brown pencil lip liner, my wallet, and some fab sunglasses.

Randolph: Definitely the same! Actually, I would have some water, my wallet with money, some glasses from the sun, and a colored lip liner because you can write with it and use it for your make-up. Sorry, I need to put five things in my bag.

Davis: I believe these items are significant to our journey because it is about keeping it real and being who we are authentically. I do not know if you notice but in our collections and every show we feature our models in a dark lip liner, we would need money to support our brand – it is realistic, and water to stay hydrated as we press forward.

Then vs Now is a series that reminds of how far we have come from our very beginnings to appreciate our present. The stories highlight each of the 2022 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists’ beginnings in design. The designers speak to how they have developed and conceptualized their purposes in fashion.