During New York Fashion Week, Moonlight Studios NYC provided an immersive setting for National Geographic’s Fit For A Queen runway show. Touted as one of the most innovative shows of NYFW24, Fit For A Queen took its inspiration from NatGeo’s groundbreaking new docuseries Queens, which uncovers six iconic realms ruled by matriarchs of the animal kingdom.
As seen in the video above, Fit For A Queen transported the audience to the beautiful worlds revealed in Queens by combining choreographed performances, immersive video, and holographic projections- including a life-sized hologram of a fierce lioness, giving new meaning to the term “catwalk”. The runway show featured designers JêBlanc, Sergio Hudson, Bohn Jsell, AnOnlyChild, Head of State, Theophilio, Studio 189, Bed on Water, Almasika, and L’Enchanteur, and footwear by Téjahn Burnet.
The Fit for a Queen fashion show incorporated holographic images of the female animals featured in QUEENS, alongside powerful women and gender non-conforming models, to bring a new perspective to these intimate, dynamic narratives of queendom.
The visually spectacular experience celebrated the parallels between queens of nature and women revolutionizing industries, particularly fashion. Sakinah Bashir, a rising female star in the fashion community, curated and styled the fierce fashion show. The event showcased bold patterns and sculptural silhouettes inspired by the animal kingdom, crafted by designers JêBlanc, Sergio Hudson, Bohn Jsell, An Only Child, Head of State, Theophilio, Studio 189, Bed on Water, Almasika, L’Enchanteur. Footwear looks were curated by designer Téjahn Burnet.
Each look was inspired by the late 90’s runway shows with deep color tones, dramatic headpieces, and adornments. The mesmerizing experience transcended fashion, emphasizing how Nat Geo is reshaping the natural history genre with influential females at the forefront, both in front of and behind the camera.
Plant Kween opened the show as “Mother Nature,” where they introduced the journey that guests would experience throughout the fashion show. Sophie Darlington, a wildlife cinematographer who worked on the series, was featured as a model in Act 1, wearing a pink Sergio Hudson outfit.
- Act I also featured a formidable hologram of the lioness from the “Crater Queens” episode, and showcased a model wearing a custom tan crushed velvet design inspired by the color and fur of a lioness by designer Theophilio.
- Act II showcased a hologram of the awe-inspiring brown bear from “Coastal Queens” with a model walking in a custom design representing “water” by JèBlanc.
- Act III was all about the elephant from “Savanna Queens,” showcasing a hologram of the majestic animal alongside a model in a custom design by Theophilio featuring the shape and sleeves inspired by an elephant and her trunk.
Dancers regaled the crowd with beautifully choreographed animal-like movements and featured Alicia Graf Mack, the youngest and first Black Dean and Director at the Juilliard School Dance Division, who performed alongside her young daughter, and Leslie Andrea Williams, a Juilliard graduate and creative artist who was named in The New York Times “Best Dance of 2019” list.
The show featured the original QUEENS main title track and music video, “Umi,” by UK artist Alewya, released earlier this week. The song is now streaming on Spotify. The beautiful score by composer Morgan Kibby, plus the full soundtrack, will be released by Hollywood Records and available for streaming on March 1 on the official National Geographic Spotify Playlist.
The creators and event producers behind Nat Geo Presents: Fit for a Queen is the visionary Black-female-owned, women-led team at award-winning multicultural marketing agency Pop’N Creative, led by Lori Hall and Jessica Lane Alexander.
Narrated by Angela Bassett, Queens (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Flood, Good Night Oppy), the wildest places on the planet have always been home to powerful leaders, but this a story of a new hero – fierce, smart, resilient and … female. Queens features matriarchies and female leaders around the world to tell a story of sacrifice and resilience but also of friendship and love. These Queens aren’t always kind or gentle, letting nothing come between them and the success and safety of their families. Guided by award-winning actress Angela Bassett’s powerful narration, Queens brings the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time. Four years in the making and helmed by a female-led production team from around the world – groundbreaking in the natural history space – the seven-part series leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead. The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens. We don’t call her Mother Nature for nothing. All hail … the QUEENS.
Queens, the first woman-led wildlife documentary, premieres on Nat Geo on March 4, and will also stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
