Childhood is a crucial time for learning; so many of us have to constantly work on unlearning harmful ableist, racist, transphobic, queerphobic, fatphobic, saneist things taught to us early on, but wouldn’t it be better if we learn caring habits right off the bat? Most people are afraid of discussing disability (and queerness), let alone with children, however, children need the language to be able to describe themselves and deserve to see themselves through media portrayals made for and by queer disabled artists. Focusing on these topics with an artistic lens creates a space for intersectional self exploration/expression. Lately I have been dreaming up “Sky and the Rebirth Warriors,” an upcoming online show focusing on the topics of accessibility, queerness, gender, disability, race, size and intersections of these identities, all while making and crafting projects with accessible materials. For this “Rebirth” themed issue of just femme & dandy, I am sharing the teaser trailer for the show! 

Targeted towards ages 6-11, but enjoyable for all ages, every episode will focus on an overall lesson or aspect of the Disability Justice movement. So far the idea is like a queer disabled Mr Rogers vibe mixed with the crafts and fun of shows like “Out of the Box” and “Zoom” (the TV show, not the thing we are all on all day) with some “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” camp aesthetics with a Disability Justice twist and definitely puppets and animated shorts sprinkled throughout. I’ve always been told I look like a children’s TV show host so 2 years ago I decided I should just go for it. I am passionate about helping youth feel empowered to create their own change and make the world more accessible to queer, disabled, POC, fat, intersex, trans and nonbinary folks. The show will feature child participants, guest artists, puppets, resident sidekick puppy, and myself- Sky Cubacub. Episode themes include accessibility for Blind/low vision people with audio descriptions, stimming and neurodivergence, dealing with chronic fatigue (common now with COVID), interdependence and why it is great to be fragrance free for people with multiple chemical sensitivity. In my work, I give people the knowledge and resources to not only learn how to create, but to think critically about the ways in which design can hinder, and alternatively, the ways in which design can create access and joy. The show will take place in a clubhouse - the Rebirth Garments studio, where guest artists, Rebirth models, and children will be learning and creating together (digital guests when necessary due to Covid). 

My experiences I had as a youth directly informs my desire to connect and share with young creatives. I found my passion in life at an extremely young age, and have always been perceived to be much younger than I am, which led to frustration, invalidation, and the spark to never replicate those behaviors. I have experienced the adultism and complete lack of faith and trust in youth to own their individual experience and creativity.

I first dreamed of designing my clothing line, Rebirth Garments, when I couldn’t find a place where I could buy a chest binder as a minor who didn't have access to digital money. Additionally, I was unsatisfied with the boring color options that were white, black or beige. When I was 21 years old, my stomach mysteriously stopped working properly and I couldn’t wear what I now call “hard pants” (jeans or non stretch pants) due to pain. This experience of not being able to find clothing that fulfilled physical and aesthetic needs was echoed by my queer and disabled family. I wanted to create something that was comfortable, functional and celebrated all of our identities. I get most of my inspiration from the interviews I conduct with each of my models. Coming up with cute solutions to address their specific needs is my favorite part of my practice and it is not just limited to creating clothing, but also creating community! I originally intended on going into the fashion department at The School of the Art Institute, but was met with extreme fatphobia, classism, ableism, and racism. On top of that, the teachers reflected the fashion industry’s obsession with trade secrets and exclusivity, so I am passionate about being an open source garment making resources so that the garment makers of the future can easily make their clothing more accessible to disabled, POC, fat, superfat, infinifat, trans and nonbinary folx. 

The work I do with Rebirth Garments, The Radical Visibility Zine and my openness to resource sharing led to the Chicago Public Library teen program, YOUmedia, asking me to create a queer DIY fashion curriculum for teens with them in 2020. I created their program “Radical Fit,” an online fashion-based program series that embraces craft, making and DIY while providing a safe space for teens to discuss gender equity and to dream and create through personal expressions of style. We currently have 75 videos for the first year of Radical Fit up on their YOUmedia Chicago youtube channel and are getting ready for our second year which will be focusing more on how to make DIY gender affirming garments and accessories. My ideology resonates with teens easily so I want to push outside my comfort zone in order to bring my messaging to a younger audience with “Sky and the Rebirth Warriors.”

Radical Fit Playlist:
http://bit.ly/RadicalFitPlaylist

Sky and the Rebirth Warriors will be hosted on the Rebirth Garments Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/rebirthgarments 

AUDIO transcript & VIDEO DESCRIPTION

Afroshoujo (@afroshoujo) sings these lyrics acapella over a beat made by hands: 

“It’s Sky! 
Say hi! 
Let’s spread our wings and fly! 
Let’s rock! 
Let’s roll! 
Get ready here we go! 

With Sky and the Rebirth Warriors 
Our adventures will be glorious 
Sky and the Rebirth Warriors 
Our fashion is notorious 

There’s a place in me that’s just like you 
Cause I got love and you got love too 
There’s a place in you that’s just like me 
Cause we both got L-O-V-E

It’s Sky! 
Say hi! 
Let’s spread our wings and fly! 
Let’s rock! 
Let’s roll! 
Now strike your favorite pose!”

Video description: 

Rebirth Garments logo animation over purple sparkly clouds by @TotallyQAF.

Quick cuts between Rebirth Garments and Radical Visibility Collective performance footage from various shows from 2016-2018 all shot by @TotallyQAF.

Ryan J Haddad wearing a sheer neon colorblocked t shirt and matching shorts is using a rollator and points to Desmond is Amazing is wearing an all white and holographic crop top and knickers with clear corset and pink scalemaille headpiece bursting out onto the performance area at EFA Project Space.

Sky wearing a muslin face mask and free the armpit crop top in black and white and primary colors waving with their apricot poodle pup @FriedChickenDoglet in front of a purple photo backdrop during a Radical Fit basic face mask tutorial video in the Rebirth Studio. (Self filmed) 

Radical Visibility Collective performance footage of Yana Atim spinning on knees with arms spread like wings while wearing a monochrome purple holographic dress with chainmaille and the Evanston Art Center.

Milenka Bermanova wearing a sheer batwing shirt with silver veins is waving across a black stage in front of many models dancing at the Chicago History Museum.

Marten Katz wearing a black and gold chainmaille fringe vest is jumping while dancing and shaking his head close up to the camera at Fed Up Fest.

Sky holding a fuzzy sign that says “Rebirth” is in a super colorful gallery full of models and audience members all jumping up and down in slow motion. 

Cuts to the same show panning across many models. 

TransFat @ItsTransFat in a drag number dances with their rollator and cuts to them using their rollator to smash a Trixie Piñata full of candy with the names of disabled drag artists (Trixie is a drag queen who did a performance mocking disabled people). (Cell phone footage by Sky)

Crafting footage of Sky teaching to make a face mask in a Radical Fit tutorial for the Chicago Public Library @YouMediaChicago.

TransFat trying on a new custom alien outfit in the Rebirth Garments studio in footage by @TotallyQAF.

Desmond is Amazing taps their feet while sitting in a chair and then poses for a selfie with their sibling. 

Sky sewing braided straps onto a face mask.

Shoumik Bhattacharya and Faith McGlothlin shimmy dance together at EFA while Faith raises a pink and purple soft sculpture chainmaille stole over her head. Cuts to Jessy Yates at the same show leaning back in her wheelchair shaking her head and then defiantly rolling towards the audience in another direction.

Sky reading the Radical Visibility manifesto on their couch in footage by @ColectivoMultipolar. 

Quick cuts of Sky sewing and cutting TransFat’s custom outfit in the Rebirth Studio and then moving a room divider to reveal TransFat in their outfit looking very pleased. Pans up and down their neon 

Sorel Estrada  @frillability wearing a dark blues, purples, blacks and silver modest wear unitard and hijab, knee high boots and metamaille necklace using a pink manual wheelchair rolls onto the scene at Fed Up Fest

Alex Chen wearing a blue and silver chainmaille and vinyl top carrying kali martial arts sticks pulls off a blue eye visor and throws it offstage. 

A model in a dark nightclub for “Rotations: a dance party for everyone” wearing skirteralls gives attitude with a flaired shrug.

About the Creator

Sky Cubacub (pronounced KOO-bah-KOOB) (They/Them/Xe/Xem/Xyr) is a non-binary disabled Filipinx queer from Chicago, IL. Xe first took a chainmaille class from Rebeca Mojica of Blue Buddha Boutique when they were 13 years old because they were drawn to the stimmy nature of the medium, and ended up finishing their project by the time everyone else had only completed an inch. This led xem to create Repetitive Motions, a debut collection of eighteen garments in June 2010 (at age 18), which directly resulted in xem starting Rebirth Garments, a line of wearables for trans, queer and disabled people of all sizes and ages, which started in summer 2014. Sky is the editor of the Radical Visibility Zine, a full color cut and paste style zine that celebrates disabled queer life, with an emphasis on joy. As a multidisciplinary artist, Sky is interested in fulfilling the needs for disabled queer life, with an emphasis on joy. Additionally they are the Access Brat and the editor of a section on ethics and inclusion called “Cancel & Gretel” at literary fashion magazine “Just Femme and Dandy”. Sky has also created a queer fashion program series with Chicago Public Library Called Radical Fit. They have had over 50 fashion performances and lectured at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Utah, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University. Rebirth Garments has been featured in Teen Vogue, Nylon, Playboy, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Vice, Wussy Mag, and the New York Times. Sky was named 2018 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune and is a 2019/2020 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist and a Disability Futures Fellow.