Elton Ilirjani, based in Brooklyn, New York, is a social media phenomenon, a fashion influencer, a company CEO, and an LGBTQIA+ activist. Elton, who was born in Albania, has made it their life’s mission to advocate for equality, human rights, and fair treatment of LGBTQ+ people everywhere, including in the United States and around the world. In anticipation of New York Fashion Week, Elton is a huge advocate for supporting independent fashion designers.
Elton emphasizes how crucial it is to have genderless models walking the runway. This, according to them, is the future of modeling, and the modeling world will see significant shifts in the not-too-distant future. According to Elton, the fashion runway is no longer sexist, discriminating, or a place where women are objectified. The general public can more readily understand genderless modeling since it represents everyone, is synonymous with the arts and production, and is more accessible.
Elton Ilirjani believes that genderless models are helping to make the fashion industry more welcoming to women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community by standing outside the conventional confines of what constitutes physical beauty. According to Elton, the fashion industry is highly controlled and subjective, and sometimes it can be abusive. Genderless models are the very first step toward freedom in the fashion industry.
Elton supports South Korean designers, which is only seen sometimes in the United States since large-name brands dominate the market for luxury products. BESFXXK and The House of Mua Mua are two of their favorite designers in the fashion industry. The distinctive appearance is what appeals to Elton the most about them.
BESFXXK is a South Korean brand that Elton considers talented, and they believe it is the future of fashion worldwide. Elton identifies the genderless philosophy and the simplicity of use as two benefits. BESFXXK is full of spirit, love, desire, inspiration, and beauty believers. They also want the models they have walking their runway shows to be themselves and not a copy-paste version of other models or stereotypes that the fashion industry has created over the past 30 years.
“As for the House of Mua Mua, this is another amazing, colorful brand! The designer of this brand is talented, crazy, and dares to trailblaze her sequin pieces with cheeky slogans in the fashion industry is truly unique,” says Elton. In Milan and Italy in general, where fashion is viewed solely through the lens of tradition, and a conservative perspective about what constitutes beauty and fashion, the designer of House of Mua Mua is an Italian rebel fashion designer. This is rare for the city of Milan and Italy in general.
Dignity Global Foundation is a charitable organization that Elton Ilirjani established. Its mission is to defend the human and civil rights of women and members of the LGBTQIIA+ community in the workplace. They designed the “Employment Equality Index” for the LGBTQIIA+ community. This index assesses private businesses and public organizations in western Balkan nations according to how closely they adhere to workplace human and civil rights principles. They have also established a prosperous career over the previous few decades as the founder and director of The HeadHunter Group, a multinational organization with offices located in 15 countries across the world.
Elton was the first openly homosexual man in Albania and created news when they came out to the media in 2006. This event is considered a watershed moment in the country’s history. As an activist, they were the driving force behind two movements aimed at increasing transgender acceptance: the “Lipstick Movement,” and the “Nobody is Straight” movement for increased LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. The things that genuinely make Elton famous are their unique sense of style as well as his quirky and eclectic personality. Elton is well-known in the New York City fashion world and has walked the runway for a number of the most innovative fashion designers during New York Fashion Week. He has walked the runway for internationally renowned fashion houses such as the House of Mua Mua (Milan) and BESFXXK in his capacity as a model who does not conform to any gender (Seoul). They have been published in publications such as Forbes, LA Weekly, V Magazine, and Miami Living Magazine, amongst others.
You can follow Elton Ilirjani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eilirjani/.
