Although queens make the gender-bending art of drag look like a piece of cake, just finding the fitting garments requires thorough research on its own. Most queens prefer designing or altering clothes to match their personal style by making outfits more revealing, glittery, extravagant and fun. Finding places to buy drag outfits is only where you start. You then work your own magic on the clothes themselves. Buying at drag artist-owned businesses is ideal for finding the perfect performance looks and a brilliant way to support the community affordably and effectively.
The seven following “drag” stores are an optimal starting point for building up your closet and supporting drag artists with your purchase. It’s a win-win for all!
In this video, the face of our #beautyforme campaign, Violetta J’adore, does her make-up, while sharing how drag has impacted her life. A fan tries to recreate her look thinking it’s easy but it doesn’t go as planned!
Video by: Joana Ndoka, Gemma Romain, and Chantelle Lewis.
From Athens and Mykonos’ cabarets, the Greek drag scene’s diva shares her story, from serving the navy to producing and presenting the very first Drag Beauty Pageant in Greece. Meet Doukissa, the 30-year-old duchess of drag from Crete.
“When I was a kid, I used to dress up as a woman for the Greek Carnival. My sister would do my make-up, and my mother would lend me her most extravagant dresses from the 80s. When I was 18, I moved from Chania, Crete to Athens to study Public Administration at Panteion University. From a young age, I was a huge fan of Takis Zacharatos, a Greek entertainer who impersonates different public personas. Once I moved to Athens, I went to see one of his shows. With every other drag show that I would attend, the more I fell in love with drag.
Becoming a queen myself was a decision I made when I finished my military service at 25. During my time as a soldier, I was oppressed, and when I left the navy, I told myself that I wouldn’t ever engage in anything that represses me again. I decided to study interior design and created my very own drag queen persona. In 2015, a friend who used to organise events came up to me one day and asked me to perform a drag show for one of her events at a gay club in Athens. A year later, in March 2016, I chose to pursue drag professionally as Doukissa. Five years have gone by, and I haven’t looked back once!
I adopted the name Doukissa due to its double functionality; it’s both a name and a title. In Greek, it means duchess. Doukissa is a comedy and pageant drag queen who loves to interact with the audience. I love performing Christina Aguilera and Greek songs, and pop-folk songs of Angela Dimitriou, known as the Lady of Greek folk music, a diva indeed. From make-up styling to the concepts and choreographies, it’s all part of my vision. Some of my drag clothes are actually made by tailors who draw inspiration from my sketches. I also have store-bought dresses, which I personalise to fit Doukissa’s style. For the most part, my drag persona is the same person as me, George. George is social and flirty, Doukissa is super social and extra flirty. Whatever I am, Doukissa is too. But to a superlative degree.
When I told my loved ones that I wanted to become a drag queen, they were surprised at first due to my stereotypical “straight” look. While they’d never expected me to want to do something this feminine, they are very supportive. My parents’ only concern was whether drag has a stable income and how long it can last. Other than that, they were excited about my drag journey. They came and watched one of my shows in Chania, Crete and my mother gave me all her fancy dresses that I used to wear as a kid. In my personal life, the reactions have varied. I’ve met people who have felt bothered that I’m a drag queen, and I’ve met people who were excited to find out what I do and asked insightful questions. I have a pretty big fan club, which encourages me to keep being the diva duchess I am. I’ve made sure that the people around me aren’t toxic, so I’ve never had anyone question or made me question my decisions.
Ever since we’ve been in lockdown, I’ve been practising drag on social media. I collaborate with other queens and interact virtually with my fans as much as possible. I’ve also been organising the very first beauty pageant for drag queens in Greece. “Miss Hellas Drag Pageant” will take place on the 11th of June 2021 and I will be the event’s host. One of the judges will be Lenn Ryberg, one of the first to bring the drag scene to Greece, doing shows in Mykonos back in 1982. I’m very excited and proud of this project. I am trying to promote drag as much as possible in my home country, one of my goals being to make the drag pageant an annual institution in Greece.
Drag is literally everything to me. It’s magic, it’s art, and it’s expression. I’m one of those people who live for drag. Although it takes me an hour to do my make-up, it really feels like five minutes. I enjoy it so much, and I honestly get lost in the process. I get nervous when waiting to perform because I only serve the best even though I’ve been doing this for years. But once I hear my song start, it all goes away, and there I am doing my thing! My favourite performance was probably during Thessaloniki Pride in 2019. I got on stage, and ten thousand people were singing along with me – the feeling I had is unforgettable.
One of the difficulties of this job is the lack of dressing rooms for drag queens at clubs. I’ve often had to get dressed at my house and ride my motorbike dressed up to get to the venue. Having my personal space is definitely a challenge for me. Some clubs don’t even have a stage, and you have no other choice than having to perform in between people or in a small area which limits you, especially in long-ass heels. But at most of the venues I’ve performed, I communicated with the owner and found solutions.
Like in many other jobs, when you first start, you are poorly paid. The money is little, to even non-existent sometimes. It takes time to build your personal brand and raise the standards. Having a fair salary is a problem that many artists face, as they are often neglected by the government.
During this pandemic, things have been even harder financially for creatives. Being an artist who cannot work because of Covid, I received a sum of money from the Greek government. But this rule only applies to those who have a contract, and freelancers, unfortunately, are on their own. Even though it’s going to be hard when things go back to normal, it’s crucial for all drag queens to keep the same fee and not lower it; otherwise, we all risk being exploited. The pandemic has already made the prices drop, to the point where they don’t even cover the basic expenses. Hospitality and Entertainment have been damaged the most by this pandemic, and consequently, so have drag queens.
Greece has improved in terms of LGTBQIA+ acceptance, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for progress. Thankfully I’ve never experienced any verbal or physical abuse for being a drag queen, and I walk around dressed in drag a lot. I don’t know if that is because I don’t take bullshit from anyone or if I’ve just been lucky. In terms of drag, people seem to enjoy the performances and acknowledge it for what it is, a form of art. More and more people have found the courage to pursue drag, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
What if there was a mix of Eurovision and RuPaul’s Drag Race? Well, hun imagine that … there is! The EuroStars Drag Contest reality TV series is just around the corner.
Drag has been a part of the Eurovision song contest since 2002 when Sestre represented Slovenia with “Samo Ijubezen.” In 2014, Eurovision crowned a drag queen as its winner and, Conchita Wurst left the world shook with her looks and talent. Alongside her shiny dress’s elegance and acclamation of her distinguished beard, Conchita seized the Eurovision stage, followed by stating that “you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look.”
Eurodrag’s next bout is set to take over Europe and explore the best drag talent of the continent, with the first episode releasing on May 1st at 7 pm (GMT+1)!
The EuroStars Drag Contest derived from EuroDrag and was created by the spectacular drag queen Linda Gold to celebrate the art of all drag types. EuroStars is an all-inclusive drag contest, open to everybody, from Kings and Queens to trans and non-binary people.
Linda Gold said that “EuroDrag launched in 2015 as a protest towards shows like RuPaul’s drag race, which, at the time, excluded everyone that didn’t represent the creators’ interpretation of drag. Now, finally, five years later, after living out of a suitcase and travelling from bar to bar, we’re able to see ALL types of drag on mainstream TV in the form of EuroStars. I can’t wait to watch it!”
Aiming to uncover Europe’s extraordinary drag talent across 30 countries, the lavish series will come in three episodes, all filmed in actuality, from start to finish.
What is the EuroStars series’ format?
The format of EuroStars will be a unique blend of Europe’s favourite song contest, Eurovision, and the world’s most famous drag race, RuPauls’ series.
In the first two episodes, known as the contest’s semi-finals, 33 drag artists will compete for the 12 spaces of the glorious third and final episode. In both semi-finals, 17 and 16 artists will participate. The five winners at the end of each episode will go on to the series finale. Those triumphant winners of the two semi-finals will be selected by the host and the studio judges. Two fortunate artists that will compete with the other ten will be chosen by a public vote.
Coming from different European countries and backgrounds, the drag contestants of Eurostars will have the opportunity to share their personal stories and get closer to the viewers. The series will feature astonishing talent, as well as plenty of banter and comedy!
The big winner of Season 1 will be chosen by the total score of the 30 judges spread across Europe. The judges’ panel will include drag stars from all over the world, many of them coming from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Drag Race Holland, Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s.
Drag Race UK. Eurovision participants will also be part of the judges, including Rasmussen, the Danish representative at Eurovision 2018, and one of the backing vocalists at Eurovision 2019, Dinah Yonas Manna.
The three resident judges of EuroDrag, Drag Race Holland contestants Sederginne, Janey Jacké, and drag king LoUis CYfer, will also have a saying in the crowning of EuroStar’s Season 1 winner, as will the host and founder of EuroStars, Linda Gold. The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite contestant by using an online poll.
The 33 contestants of EuroStars 2021 have been announced, and they are all impressive! Find out the representative of the 33 European countries competing here.
England will be represented by Black Peppa, a previous EuroDrag winner. Black Peppa is a brilliant drag queen, model, dancer, and designer from Birmingham with Caribbean heritage and a front runner of EuroStars 2020.
“My style is very hard to put into one sentence but I can best describe it as fetish punk glamour meets Futurism, with a sophisticated twist of haute couture in there,” Black Peppa told EuroDrag.
The drag stars of the future are about to be discovered on EuroStars Drag Contest 2021, and they will take the world by storm. Although the best will win, everyone embarking on this journey will share the glory!
Get ready for Europe’s most established drag competition that will feature all types of drag.
Starting May 1st, airing live on LatestTV, also available on streaming services, including Sky, Amazon Prime, Virgin Media and Revry; you can’t and certainly don’t want to miss it!
It started as a hobby, became a career and ended as a life-changer — the LGTBQIA+ activist talks all things life and drag. Meet Nicole Nasty, a make-up artist, hairstylist and the nastiest queen of the Greek drag scene.
“Before I got introduced to drag, I wasn’t familiar with it at all. All I was, was a hairdresser and a make-up artist. I was introduced to drag through RuPaul’s drag race, which a friend suggested I watch. After a year of watching the show, I learned so much about drag and its history. So much so, I got started professionally as Nicole Nasty in 2018. The art of drag really intrigued me because it combines a range of arts I feel passionate about, including hairstyling, make-up, dancing, and acting.
Drag has helped me a lot personally and professionally. And Nicole Nasty has definitely helped Nikolas in every aspect. Nikolas is a more reticent person, while Nicole Nasty is more social. She’s an extrovert, perhaps something Nikolas wishes he could be. Nevertheless, they have much in common. Both of them are feminists and LGTBQIA+ activists. Nicole Nasty is comic, sexy and very creative. Her style tends towards pop, youthful, sexy and nasty, (obviously?!), as you can tell by the name! Nikolas chooses self-expression through art, as Nicole Nasty on stage, because it’s easier for her to be who she wants to that way.
My friends were really excited and showed a lot of encouragement when I told them that I would become a drag queen. My family has been very supportive as well. I would consider myself lucky to have such understanding parents, even though it should be a norm for every family. My parents were already familiar with drag culture through a Greek entertainer, Takis Zacharatos, an impersonator of different famous personas. My mother is my number one fan; she has seen me perform many times and even lent me dresses when I first started as a drag queen. My father would also attend my shows if I didn’t perform so late at night. However, he still watches the videos afterwards and loves them nonetheless. In terms of dating, being a drag queen hasn’t really been an issue. If any of my dates aren’t comfortable with me being a drag queen, then I simply move on. It’s not my problem; I’m all good, hun!
Being a drag queen in Greece is difficult; I’m not going to lie. But I do try my best and trust the process. It takes patience, determination and a lot of hard work. When I first started, I used to go out dressed in drag a lot. Now, not so much anymore. Staring has a lot do to with that. While I haven’t encountered terrible behaviours, it does depend on the area you’re in Athens; you could either get compliments or mocking. I have definitely experienced the latter, where I was bullied at a movie set for being a drag queen. We were doing a photo shoot on the street in Athens, and there was this middle- aged woman who kept taking pictures of us. Then she finally came over and asked me, “what are you?” Smiling, I replied that I was a drag queen, which followed by her insisting that I was a man and all that.
On the grand scheme, Greece has taken steps forward in terms of LGTBQIA+ and accepting drag, but that doesn’t mean we have reached the ideal level of respecting each other’s freedom. Personally, I’m optimistic, and I believe that slowly but surely, we’ll get there.
My first performance was very emotional and was probably the only time I felt highly stressed to perform. It was a fundraising show for Zak Kostopoulos’ trial, a Greek LGTBQIA+ activist who had been brutally beaten to death. It was the experience that convinced me drag was what I wanted to do. On stage is where I feel most confident because I know I’m going to impress. I recognise that I naturally have something that will entertain the audience; they won’t be able to take their eyes off me! Unlike other drag queens that find it disrespectful, I love it when other people join me on stage; it’s beautiful. I want the audience to have fun; that’s the goal.
Like most performers, I’ve also had my fair share of embarrassing experiences on stage. One that comes to mind right now is when I tried to do a wig reveal, snapping my wig on stage and uncovering the one I have underneath. It didn’t go as planned, and I accidentally ended up taking off both of them. Oh well, that didn’t stop me. I don’t let these mishappenings get to me. Instead, I went to a mirror and humorously stuck one of the wigs back on my head. I continued the show, like a real queen, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The splits I proceeded to do made everybody forget the incident.
The pandemic has impacted me in terms of livelihood, as I am financially dependent on my drag performances. However, I’ve remained busy despite the lockdown, occupying myself with live streams and drag makeovers on social media. I’ve also expanded my YouTube channel by collaborating with other drag queens, and it’s been fun; it keeps my creative juices flowing. Drag is an integral part of Nikolas; it’s his creativity, it’s the claim to his rights, and oh my God, it’s so much fun!”
Violetta J’adore by Grand Gareth for GiGi Magazine, 2021
An insightful glimpse into the life of a 24-year-old drag queen from Cyprus. Hear her inspiring story; how drag changed her life and the struggles of being a gay person in Balkan countries. Meet English teacher on paper, and drag queen at heart, Violetta J’adore.
“My husband and I always joke around that I have three personalities. My first name is Vassilis, and my middle name is Theodoros. Vassilis is a shy, depressed little kid from Cyprus. Then we have Violetta, the very social, expressive, and crazy, over the top drag queen. Theodoros is placed right in the middle of Vassilis and Violetta, trying to keep a balance. Violetta is passionate, glamorous, versatile and fucking lives to perform.
Drag was a revelation for me that I stumbled upon by pure accident. Before drag, my life was pretty miserable, and that’s not an understatement. I wasn’t the same person by any stretch of imagination; I was shy, antisocial, an introvert really. Thanks to drag, I became more expressive. I was finally able to express myself through performing, which incorporates everything that I love: acting, dancing and, of course, glam.
Violetta J’adore by Grand Gareth for GiGi Magazine, 2021
I was first introduced to drag culture in my 20s when I went to Spain for an Erasmus grant in 2017. I was studying Psychology at Universidad Europea de Madrid. I also worked at a club in a gay area of Madrid called Chueca, and there was this custom to pass around flyers dressed in drag to promote the venue. Because the club didn’t have any drag queens to do this job, they asked me if I could do it, and I thought, “why not?” Soon after, I got my first gig as a drag queen in that club. I then decided, “okay, this is a thing now; I’ve got to do it!” Now, almost four years later, I have performed in six different countries, and I can’t imagine my life without drag.
Meanwhile, I’m an English literature teacher doing my PhD at the University of Portsmouth. People used to tell me that drag will ruin my career as an English teacher. That it would destroy my reputation, that everything stays online and that I needed to look out for my future. To be honest, I used to worry about that too, until my last job in Brighton as a language school teacher. My boss literally helped me pick out my heels for one of my shows, which he then even attended and watched.
I currently live in Brighton, and I walk around in my 7-inch heels, fully drag-dressed, confident, and only get compliments. When I lived in Athens after my Erasmus grant finished in 2018, I would ride the underground in drag make-up and feel scared. I would cover myself with a hoodie, looking down so that nobody stared at me. In my homeland, Cyprus, the situation is even worse when it comes to queer; I wouldn’t feel safe at all walking around in drag there. At the age of 16, I got beaten to the ground, while all I did was walk out of a gay club in Limassol with my friends. I remember my friends ran away, but I stayed calm. I was asked, “are you a man?” I replied, “yes,” and I got fucking beaten up. I became scared, but every fight against homophobia is worth it. I’ll never deny or alter myself to please other people.
My friends have been very supportive of me, and I love them to bits for that. In my family, only two people know that I’m a drag queen: my cousin and my mother. I’d say that Cyprus is a very closed-minded community. They aren’t up to speed with what’s happening in the rest of the world. For example, my mother had a misguided opinion on drag; she thought it was similar to stripping. Now, she’s gradually trying to understand. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that not everyone in your life has to like what you do; they just have to accept it and not comment. It’s about you, as long as you’re happy with yourself and your life. People either have to get on board, or they have to get out of your life, duh!
Violetta J’adore performing in Brighton, 2019
When I get on stage and perform in drag, the adoration and rush I get from the audience are literally mind-blowing. I’m very detailed when it comes to my performances, from the make-up and the outfit to the song and the concept. During quarantine, I’ve even learned to make my own wigs out of natural hair. Drag to me is creativity, it’s expression, and it’s love. I take my performances very seriously, and I still get anxious before getting on stage.
I wouldn’t be happy if I had to let go of Violetta. As a teenager, I dealt with many mental issues, and it was tough for me to express myself as a gay bipolar person. When Violetta came into my life, I realised that I could communicate my feelings and thoughts by performing through her. At first, I only saw Violetta as a persona, an alter-ego of mine that I could channel whenever I pleased. But four years down the road, she’s now a part of me, something that I need in my life.
Violetta J’adore by photographer Grand Gareth for GiGi Magazine, 2021
Since lockdown, I’ve been practising drag on social media, though I do count on going back to live performances in May. I’ve actually already planned out my next steps. I’m the event manager of the “Funny Boyz” event at “Le Village” in Brighton. The “Funny Boyz” is a franchise of drag cabaret events across Europe, part of the EuroDrag and EuroStars international televised competition. I’m thrilled to be working with them; you can make reservations already, and I promise you, you’ll have the time of your life! Nobody does it like drag queens, and that’s a fact!
Covid has almost killed drag in a way. We are getting ignored by the government rules; it’s like we don’t exist. Until October, I was fully booked to perform in clubs and pubs, and then, in just one day, everything got cancelled. I was counting on those shows; they are my livelihood. Many people quit drag because it doesn’t pay during a pandemic, and many venues have shut down. While the government can pay those, who work in hospitality, (as they should), they forget about the performers. Performers have been deeply affected during these difficult times too.
I won’t give up, though. I have too many looks that I need to show people. I aspire to be the best I can, and no pandemic will stop me. That’s the thing I love most about Violetta; she keeps me on my toes; there’s excitement every single day. As the years go by, Vassilis is catching up to Violetta. I don’t see a peak in my drag journey; I just want to keep learning new things every day. Things about myself, about Violetta, and the world. But like I wouldn’t say no to a Vogue cover.”
Violetta J’adore by photographer Grand Gareth for GiGi Magazine, 2021
