Known for his extravagant designs (that often feature minimal fabric because “sometimes less is more”), Lucas Stowe has gained recognition for pushing the boundaries of fashion. Now, the Brooklyn-based designer is gearing up to make waves once again—this time with a collection inspired by Western culture and global icon Beyoncé.
On Thursday, the 33-year-old designer will debut the first piece from his highly anticipated collection: a pair of assless chaps. The black chaps are crafted from a coated canvas and adorned with rhinestones from top to bottom. The chaps retail for $300 and will be available for purchase on Stowe’s website.
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“I did pink glittery chaps for my second collection years ago, so they’ve always been part of my DNA. But I was like, ‘How do I make it work with what people want to wear right now?’ And then Beyoncé’s whole aesthetic was country, so I thought ‘Perfect, I’m going to do my version of those,’” Stowe said. “I was actually hesitant to drop them because they’re so expensive to make, but I’m glad I took a chance. It worked last time when I did a bodysuit for Beyoncé’s tour two summers ago so honestly, sometimes, it’s about taking a [risk] and seeing how it goes.”
Path to success
Although Stowe has made a name for himself in the partywear market, he didn’t always know he wanted to be a designer. In fact, it wasn’t until a semester abroad in Paris that the Montreal born designer discovered his passion.
“I didn’t have access to fashion [back in Canada], so I didn’t know what that world was like. But when I moved to Paris, I started sneaking into fashion shows since all my friends were in fashion design courses. Doing that just made me fall in love with fashion,” Stowe said. “After that, I took a quick sewing course and began creating my own niche collection of pieces that I thought were cool and worked for me. Then I started making clothes for my friends (who were drag queens and performers) and never looked back.”
Fast forward to today, Stowe is single-handedly (he manages all the design, marketing, photoshoots, packaging, and more) running a profitable business that puts LGBTQIA+ fashion and culture in the spotlight.
“I think queer people are at the forefront of a lot of things, especially creatively, so those are the people I want to dress,” Stowe said. “Queerness is super important, but something I keep in mind all the time is that it’s not just about me; it’s about a whole group of people. It’s different sizing, different shapes, different body types—all that stuff matters. So every day, I’m trying to work on that and broaden it to be as inclusive as possible.”
Since starting his namesake brand in 2018, Stowe has designed an array of partywear pieces that have been worn by A-listers like Sam Smith and Machine Gun Kelly. One of the most notable pieces Stowe has designed is an acid washed denim micro miniskirt covered in clear stones. “Trends play a role in what people wear, and at the time, denim was everywhere in fashion. So that’s how the denim skirt came to life,” Stowe said.
While Stowe has already achieved many of his goals—like securing his own design space—he has no plans of slowing down his success anytime soon.
“My goal for 2025 is to be more inclusive and expand into different types of products, like jewelry,” Stowe said. “I also want to dress more celebrities. It’s a lot of work, but it’s really rewarding. There are a few I haven’t dressed yet that I’d love to work with like Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X. I’ll definitely be manifesting all of this for 2025.”
