Chromat Sent Fashion Week a Powerful Message About Inclusion in Athletics

If there is a boundary, Becca McCharen-Tran is ready to push it. The Chromat designer has built her brand on challenging fashion standards with an inclusive viewpoint and clothing designed for all. 

This season, freedom from the show schedule allowed McCharen-Tran to present her collection in a new way, via a special film from director and activist Tourmaline whose 2018 doc Happy Birthday, Marsha! shined a light on the transgender icon Marsha P. Johnson. “She can see the big picture in such a clear way,” shared McCharen-Tran on the phone from Florida. “Everything she does is so intentional and done with care. I relied on Tourmaline, working with her during this time was something I needed.” 

On the heels of Chromat’s newly released Reebok collection, the duo chose to focus on the struggles faced by trans athletes as they fight for a place within the world of athletics. The stories of the legal battles faced by Olympians like Caster Semenya, the middle-distance runner who, after winning the 2009 world championships, was subjected to sex testing and withdrawn from the competition, have been well documented, but the issue extends to student-athletes. 

“This is about trying to reject the notion that there are only two categories for athletes,” explains McCharen-Tran. “We were able to tell the story of fall through a creative reimagining that is more gender-inclusive.” Terry Miller and Andrea Yearwood, who feature in the Chromat doc, both experienced success in track and field only to face discrimination from peers and the athletic associations in their hometowns. “To be a part of sports, especially in high school athletics, is about more than playing a game,” says McCharen-Tran. “It’s really about leadership, team building, working together, and feeling part of a community.” 

McCharen-Tran’s clothing presents a utopian perspective on sport style. Her designs are steeped in optimism, their peppy colors, and wearability palatable to a multitude of ages, sizes, and tastes. Who wouldn’t feel upbeat in zig-zagging neon prints and tangerine tinted bikini tops with keyhole cutouts? While the sexier pieces focused on lingerie detailing, the collection’s sporty side was pure ’90s. The skin-tight bike shorts and combination hoodie-tanks that were a constant at gyms and basketball courts during the decade were recreated in technicolor brights. 

Though there isn’t a runway cast this season, McCharen-Tran’s lookbook models reflect that spirit of inclusion. Clad in masks that coordinate with their respective outfits, they seem like an incredibly cool group of friends and precisely the kind of people who would wear Chromat’s latest collaboration: a forthcoming sportswear capsule for New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. “They’re so in line with what we intended for the collection,” says McCharen-Tran. “This is a real full-circle vision moment.” 

Watch Tourmaline’s latest film below.