“Why be basic when you can be amazing?” muses Christopher Griffin, known to most as Plant Kween. From 9-5, you’ll find the Associate Director of NYU’s LGBTQ+ Center behind their desk. In their off hours, they’re scoffing around their Brooklyn apartment in sequined dresses, dispensing botanical knowledge to all who follow (via @plantkween). Nestled in said jungle of a house, you’ll find not one, but three closets. One serves as a good option, the other is for vintage, and the last one specifically houses designer fashion. The latter is essentially an ode to the designer Griffin most admires: Christopher John Rogers, whom they dressed for their book. You grow up, Gurl!”s cover. “[His clothes] are bold, colorful, playful, shapes, bold, bold, bold, never seen before. And not only that [items] of clothing, they are works of art. I don’t wear them easily.” Unless it’s Christopher John Rogers, Griffin either saves their clothes (the antidote to their “expensive tooth”) or uses their fashion purchases to support them in the LGBTQ+ and black communities — bonus points for their intersectionality.
Aesthetically, these purchases often have a flair for the dramatic. While Griffin doesn’t dress draggy, they take inspiration from the queens in their sartorial opulence. That said, their first taste of this bold sense of creative expression came from the growing black churches. “Fashion show,” they say. “Multiple dresses, sequins, jackets with shoulder pads, hats that defy gravity and architecture.” Griffin’s grandmother, a churchgoing woman, connected these dots for them early on. Naturally, her closet provided some shelter. “I was in my own little world in her closet,” Griffin muses.
The esthete vividly recounts a specific memory in which she clicked up the stairs in a pair of her tiny heels during a family gathering at a very young age. “Everyone calmed down. And my grandmother said, ‘Oh my god. Isn’t that precious? You look so wonderful.’ And I think in that moment, she let my family know that this was something that was normal. This is something I needed to do and was allowed to do.” This outward acceptance gave the Griffins the permission they needed to explore their self-expression outside of the gender binary.
Coat: Fabric silhouette
Grandma, the “original green goddess” also gave Griffin a green thumb. “[She made me] we realize that gardening is very important to our family’s legacy.” Now, their relationship with plants is philosophical in nature. A first-generation student and avid student, Griffin has created their own botany class, in which they are professor and student. “Plants are rich in history. They are living, breathing creatures that we need to survive on many different levels. Plants have a deep connection with human existence. they provide an avenue for reflective insight into the many different ways I can. take care of myself.”
Griffin naturally waxes poetic in the field of clothing, their other love, too. As a non-binary person, gender is their playground. I like to jump, skip and jump on different things. Dress, for me, is just one of the many ways I can express myself and show up in the ways I want. The show of which is always evolving. “I think unfortunately as a non-binary person living in a very transient place like New York where you [can’t hide]some days it’s about safety. I don’t feel like experiencing transphobia today, so let me chime in. And then other days I’m like hell that. I want to be who I am. And I’ll just show who I am on my sleeve. And so on a good day, when I’m feeling wild and I’m feeling grounded in my identities, it’s really about fun silhouettes, playful patterns and bold colors.” Their work adds a layer of responsibility to this decision. Griffin works at an LGBTQ+ center where she encourages all students to be themselves, unapologetically. “I think it is important that while we do the work, we also live the work”, they say. “We must set an example for our students.” This means that heels and dresses are often cycled through their corporate wardrobe. “Like Ru[Paul] said, “We’re all born naked. The rest is a drag. So why not have fun with it?” Keep scrolling to explore Griffin’s bountiful closet.
