Unmentionable ft. The House of Flora

For this year’s Unmentionable: A Lingerie Exposition, we have a lovely surprise for our audiences! Happy to be a part of this art collective, The House of Flora, an avant garde drag, performance art, and dance company will be sharing the stage with these beautiful designers, as a means to contribute to the pool of amazing talent this year.

The House of Flora strives to push the boundaries of self-expression and works to expand the Northwest's queer community, by celebrating certain gender-sexual subjects that surpass the dominant society's binary categories. Furthermore, the house honors the notorious underground ballroom culture hailed from New York.   

Its founder and father, Brandon Harrison, also known by their alter ego, drag alien, Hydrangea Strangea, began the group early April 2016. During the time, previous houses already existed in Portland, the House of Ada and the House of Aquarius. Brandon had the idea to create his own house, and he did. He decided to name it the House of Flora, after the two most empowering women he knew, his grandmother and mother.     

And so the House of Flora began, with it’s father, Hydrangea Strangea, and first mother, Daphne Strangea. The house immediately began receiving opportunities to host and perform Northwest nightlife events such as En Vogue in Seattle, Nostalgia PDX, Boyeurism, and Stranger Disco. As time went by, the House of Flora adopted its second mother, myself, drag artist, Illuma Naughty. As we grew, we were lucky enough to perform with drag superstars Sharon Needles, Alyssa Edwards, and Laganja Estranja. Other events include Okurrrrrr, Tim Burton Ball, Critical Mascara, Darqness Ball, Blowpony with Zebra Katz, and even the Weiden and Kennedy Holiday Party.     

To this day, our house has grown to a total of seven members-- each with their own unique talents and personalities. I’m more than happy to a part of this troupe. Being in this performance art group has allowed us to grow artistically, without shame of what we’re ‘supposed’ to be or what we’re ‘supposed’ to look like. It is something I find very special and rare in our society. It gives me a sense of home. And being queer: we get to choose our own family. I couldn’t imagine being in any other family than the House of Flora.