On Sept. 5, 2019, Reyna (Rey) Montgomery will get her first chance to walk the New York Fashion Week runway in DapperQ‘s sixth annual LGBTQ show.
With designers and models coming from all over the world, Rey was chosen as Shane Ave.’s one of eight U.S. models to represent their new custom made professional attire for the LGBTQ community.
Deb Saywell, founder of Shane Ave. says, “For a lot of people, particularly those who identify as lesbian and those that identify as transgender men, often find it very difficult to find formal attire, in particular, that is not gender specific.”
From Columbus, Ohio and a graduate from the University of Detroit Mercy, getting the chance to face the camera on the big stage did not always seem possible.
Montgomery remembers, “I was invited to this event last year, but I couldn’t make it and had to pull out at the last minute. And at that moment, I put modeling away- I gave up. But they reached back out to me, so I felt like this was God giving me another opportunity to go for what I want without any distractions this time.”
The clothing line along with DapperQ is pursuing an effort to ungender fashion with the ability to be specific about what people, both gay and straight, want. Shane Ave. eliminates themselves from the design process and instead gives their customers the power to create professional attire that will fit them in the truest way.
Though modeling has always been a dream for her, Rey also spends much of her time as an Artist Manager at USIC The Brand in Columbus. There, she manages underground artists and promotes their work to ensure that it is possible for them to perform at venues and ultimately follow their own dreams.
Q and A with Rey Rey
Q: What would you tell yourself in 2018 when you weren’t able to make the show?
A: “Never let one “failure” set you off course. It felt like a loss, but I knew it wasn’t meant for me at that time. I’m intuned. My time will come. [Stay] patient.”
Q: What would you tell someone who is not comfortable being themselves?
A: “Being yourself is the greatest gift you [can] give this world. To be you is to be free. Be you. Be free.”
Want to go to the show?
Showing up to support Rey at her first NYFW show is easy!
Where: Brooklyn Museum | 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238
When: Sept. 5, 2019, at 7 P.M.
Ticket price: $16 includes admission to the Brooklyn Museum Click Here.
Rey’s Artist Management Contact Information
Instagram: @reynamontgomery
Email: rey@usicbrand.com
pressdmag.com 