Portrait by Conor Clinch for ES Magazine. Lava wears MM6 Maison Margiela jeans, £290 (maison margiela.com/gb). T-shirt, vintage. Jewellery and belt, Lava’s own
(Picture: Conor Clinch / ES Magazine)We don’t have to do rainbow gay,’ says Lava La Rue playfully while flicking through a multi-coloured sequin top on the stylist’s rail. ‘We could always do a lesbian power-suit moment,’ they continue, as they fetch an oversized blazer found in Portobello market out of their bag. ‘That could be a vibe.’
The 24-year-old is making in-jokes with the glam team at their ES Magazine Pride shoot. As an openly queer, non-binary artist, they know how the industry can flatten queer musicians into one-dimensional tropes. But they also know that this isn’t their battle to overcome. Nor should it stop them from embracing their identity in ways that are specific to their community. ‘It’s just about bringing this mentality outside of a month,’ they continue. ‘Like, why is it the only time there are 50 per cent of queer artists on a playlist is when it’s Pride?’
