Transpire Help is turning Clematis Street into a runway again this Saturday with its annual “Fashion on the Block,” a community-driven fashion show centered on trans designers, trans models, and trans joy. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Lucky’s Gay Bar on Clematis in West Palm Beach, with proceeds supporting Transpire’s mission to serve local LGBTQ people in recovery.
For Sarah Needleman, secretary of Transpire, the event is more than a night of couture and creativity. It is a way to honor the community’s past while uplifting its present.
“We started the event a few years ago and we make sure to focus it really on trans people,” Needleman said. “So we have a lot of trans fashion designers, a lot of our models are trans that show off the different designs.”
The timing is intentional. Fashion on the Block is scheduled each year during the week of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the lives of transgender people who were victims of anti-transgender violence. One of the designers who helped start the event has passed away, and Needleman said her artistic legacy is woven directly into the show’s origins.
“She created a fashion design based on a lot of the artwork that her friend who passed away would create and do and that’s how it got started,” Needleman said.
While the show is celebratory, Transgender Day of Remembrance brings a weight that organizers do not ignore. Needleman said the event creates intentional space to acknowledge the lives lost while centering the people who are still here.
“We will take a moment for trans day of remembrance to talk about what that day is about and to celebrate and bring attention to the lives that have been lost this year, the violence and the rhetoric that has caused so much heartbreak in the community,” Needleman said.
This year’s show features multiple designers, a trans-led model lineup, and volunteer support to keep everything flowing backstage. Needleman said volunteers are essential, especially as the show grows. The team needs people to help guide models, set up, and break down at the end of the night.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
