Brooklyn-based queer designer Jacques Agbobly and The Standard co-hosted a dinner Thursday to toast Pride Month at the boutique hotel chain’s Meatpacking District flagship.
Friends including fellow designer K.ngsley, Antoine Gregory of the Black Fashion Fair and Raisefashion’s Felita Harris did so with limited-edition “Fresh and Fruity” cocktails made from Supergay vodka. A portion of sales from each drink are being donated to the Ali Forney Center for LGBTQ youth services throughout June.
Jacques Agbobly and friends at The Standard Hotel.
Courtesy of Matthew Yoscary
Guests were also toasting the launch of Agbobly’s Pride collaboration T-shirt commissioned by The Standard for its exclusive line of branded merchandise.
Featuring artwork by abstract painter Harlan Hue, the crewneck depicts two gender-fluid individuals intertwined in a warm embrace amid swirls of blue, orange and purple. They are dressed in pieces from the designer’s latest collection, Bienvenue Á Bord, which, “explores the act of taking up space, finding community, and discovering the self,” they said.
“We wanted to emphasize the theme of togetherness and communal safety,” Agbobly continued of the design. “It’s truly an authentic expression of what Pride represents to us.”
The Standard x Jacques Agbobly Pride Month collaboration T-shirt.
Courtesy of The Standard
This isn’t the first time The Standard and Agbobly have themselves been intertwined.
The hotel, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this years, is a frequent supporter of Raisefashion’s emerging designer incubator program, often providing a venue for the nonprofit’s various pop-ups and events, such as a panel discussion that kicked off New York Fashion Week in February. Agbobly has attended, but never played host. Doing so was, “an honor,” they said.
Karla Evans, The Standard’s senior vice president of brand marketing and culture, was pleased to find a new way of showing support for an emerging BIPOC designer through a more direct collaboration. “Who better than Jacques to celebrate our 25th year and show our commitment to inclusion, creativity and self-expression?” she asked.
The Standard and Jacques Agbobly’s Pride month T-shirt is available now at The Standard shop online.