What’s the only thing better than a fashion-filled, trans-led, Latin queer rave? Well, two fashion-filled, trans led, Latin queer raves, obviously. The Colombian club collective Grilleo have been putting on parties since December 2022, a firebrand medley of sex-positive performances and intense guaracha in their native Medellín. The DJ, stylist and former Dazed100 alum Mina Galán also knows a thing or two about a party, having launched her own intensely hyped night in London following the blowout success of a birthday party at The Standard. And last month, Grilleo’s queer rave and Galán’s Club Stamina joined forces in Colombia for the very first time, giving us a night of dolls, debauchery and standout fashion moments. To take things up a notch, Galán and Grilleo also added performer RICO RICA to the roster, to complete the line-up of Grilleo x Club Stamina x Worldwide Baddies Online.
For the event, RICO made posters “inspired by the camgirls and online sexual workers who are a huge part of the labour coming out of Medellín, and are also girls that are within our community,” while camgirl-inspired videos were looped on plasmas decorating the club. On the night, the party was full of outfits that were “eclectic, erotic and cunt”, according to Grilleo. “The divas know it’s a safe space to express themselves,” continued the collective. “The only space where marginalised people can go as they please, without judgement.”
On the dancefloor, this self-expression was telegraphed through the freedom of dress, from itty-bitty leopard swimsuits, diamanté bras, sheer minidresses and crystallised face veils. And for the trans women of Grilleo, getting dressed up is more than just an aesthetic experience, but a political one too. “The government started taking measures against sex workers and Latina women in general, fining girls for how we are dressed, assuming that if we show skin we are automatically sex workers,” explains the collective. “Our party is for the hoes, so they can express themselves freely, because elsewhere in the city you can be shamed during the day. There’s a political resistance through art and fashion.”
Speaking to Galán, she also has her own thoughts on the fashion of club nights. “Honestly, part of why I started Club Stamina was because I was tired of going to raves and warehouses where my Gucci by Tom Ford six-inch sandals weren’t welcome,” she jokes. “I wanted to take the underground energy and bring it to the top floor of the most iconic hotel in London. The girls knew – it was my party, so you had to come dressed to impress.” And though they’re no longer at The Standard, it seemed that Galán’s message made it 5000 miles across the Atlantic, with the rest of the party dressed in ornate metallic headdresses, skimpy leather minis and cutout bodycon gowns. “Fashion has always been part of club culture,” continues Galán. “People come to feel like their best selves: the ritual of getting ready, the look, the entrance – it’s symbolic. The club is sexy. Fashion is sexy. Music is sexy. It’s all connected.”
Scroll through the gallery above for all of the night’s looks.
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