Nik Kacy

NiK Kacy is the Creator and Executive Producer of Equality Fashion Week, the 1st LGBTQ+- focused Fashion Week in LA, as well as the Founder and President of NiK Kacy Footwear, an LGBT-certified business, and the first gender-equal / gender-free footwear and accessories for genders and identities in all spectrums. As a gender non-conforming, transmasculine individual who identifies as nonbinary, Kacy’s designs are inspired by both their personal identity, style, cultural background, fashion and activism. Their hope is to provide a solution to individuals who have been seeking footwear alternatives that fit not only their feet but also their authentic expression of self. Their mission is to utilize fashion as activism in a way that inspires change so that gender is no longer a force that limits or restricts, and EQUALITY becomes the vernacular that ALL individuals speak.

Kacy’s journey began shortly after traveling throughout Europe in search of masculine-styled shoes made to fit smaller, petite feet. For most of their life, Kacy was unable to find a proper pair of shoes that were both comfortable and fitting of their identity. Tired of being under-represented, Kacy set out to discuss with manufacturers why shoes have traditionally been divided between men and women only. After being told repeatedly by the footwear industry that the market for this niche was too small and therefore non-lucrative, Kacy decided to design their own collection of gender-free shoes in a range of gender-equal sizes. In addition to footwear, Kacy also designs accessories such as a their one-of-a-kind modular genderfree utility holster, and other accessories that are gender-neutral in design. Kacy’s designs break the traditional ideals of the gender binary, while allowing individuals to walk their own way, no matter how they identify.