Queer, Black, and Fashion Obsessed

By Kate Regan

How the south shaped Jacorey Moon and his future in fashion.

Jacorey Moon is currently living in Atlanta, where the weather is “stuck in that ugly purgatory phase where it’s cold, but like, it’s still insanely hot… and filled with Trump supporters.” After getting his graduate degree from Newhouse’s magazine program this past May, he was quickly hired by Office Magazine in NYC, for which he currently works remotely. While he waits for the city to “return to normal,” he shares what being back home means to him as this time allows him to look back on his journey to success.

Moon’s great grandmother introduced him to fashion at a very young age. As a neighborhood seamstress, he was always watching her making garments, using patterns, and fitting customers in awe. He would sit in her office and dive into the stacks of magazines she had laying around for customers. At ten years old, she bought Moon his first Vogue, and everything aligned. While initially, he wanted to be a fashion designer after binging Project Runway, he “broke four sewing machines and quickly learned that I didn’t have the patience,” and decided to go into magazine.

If Moon could create his own dream publication, his focus demographic would be the youth. “I don’t feel like we have a lot of publications if you’re in college, or 18 to 28-year-olds, we don’t really have magazines that cater to what our life really is, or what we’re actually thinking or what we’re actually doing. Unless it’s like Air Force ones and like baggy jeans.” He explains that it’s easier for publications to capitalize on this age group, but not relate to it. His publication would also “push the needle forward” and create conversations about Black people and other people of color to have a creative space and be seen.

Although he didn’t come out until 15, Moon believes that requesting a Beyonce CD at age 6 should have been a sign. His mother always stressed the importance of looking your best, so he always dressed well. “I came out the closet (when) Lady Gaga was at her Apex and (had released) Born This Way. I was like yes, my time. Then I immediately went to school in crop tops and really tight jeans.” Before coming out, he was always thinking of the looks he would pull once he was comfortable. “I was already thinking about what I would be, who I would be when I came out. I was thinking, okay, this will be good when I have the courage to wear it, or this will be good when I don’t feel like everybody is staring at me. I already knew who I was going to be; it was just actually finding the courage to do it.”

He mentions that while the pandemic has negatively affected his mental health, it has taught him the importance of patience. He has learned to “tuck away” more creative ideas to save them for when he’s in a better headspace.

In terms of the Black Lives Matter protests that have been happening recently, Moon sees right through publications giving a false sense of inclusivity, ones that are looking to check off a box. “As a person who’s currently trying to get a job in the middle of a pandemic in an industry that’s already super competitive, it’s like, with Black Lives Matter things happening during the summer. It was like everybody was saying, ‘Yeah, we see we hear you yada yada, yada.’ But then it’s like, okay, now a few months after, and we’re reaching out to be Black editors, stylists, creatives (etc.). I reached out to these people and did not get anything back. No answers, no calls, no interviews, no anything, because everything is for show.” These are things he looks for in terms of employment and who he works for; he only wants to represent a brand that represents him.

That’s why Moon loves working for Office Magazine, a publication who focuses on bridging the gaps for underrepresented groups. “They go into the margins and take the people out of the margins and put them into the pages.” They focus heavily on the LGBTQ+ community, who are some of his favorite interviews he’s gotten to do. Already having 50 clips under his belt, Moon has interviewed rappers, trans models, and activists. He was happy to see Office’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement; the publication published any kind of story that was Black centric and put Black people on the pedestal to make them feel like their voices were getting heard.

“I never thought that I was the smartest or the most creative or the most fashionable. I graduated undergrad and didn’t feel like I was any of those things because I just never saw anybody like me doing what I’m doing.” Working at Office Magazine has been a very educational experience for Moon, and he’s already taken notice of things to keep in mind. “Do the work that other people don’t like to do.” He’s learned that by doing this he has gained more work experience and had more writing opportunities as a result.

Although it’s hard to imagine a month in the future, let alone postgrad, Moon is the perfect example of making it during this confusing time. His ability to stay on his toes and go with the flow helped him land his position at Office and stay sane while working from home.