Charity Kase Is the London Drag Star Whipping Up Fantastical Looks
Charity Kase’s Instagram is wild, as in an extreme trove of fantastical looks. It visually transcends real life into a world of both nightmares and fantasy. Sometimes, the drag star posts are out of a horror movie: Think, a cheerful Ronald McDonald clown now with saber teeth, his yellow costume shredded into a half-shirt for a bondage flair. Another image appears almost as if it is plucked from a Gucci campaign: an amphibious alien creature, slathered in hot pink body glitter, sporting an embellished bustier top, silk opera gloves, and a vintage jewel choker necklace. The feed is the work of 21-year-old Harry Whitfield, who last year, achieved posting a full 365 days of drag on Instagram.
For Whitfield, who works at London’s underworld-meets-celebrity-flocked club The Box four nights a week, coming up with constant outfit or makeup ideas isn’t necessarily about being inspired by one thing, but rather about seeing where his emotions take him. Whitfield started the account after being diagnosed with HIV and used dressing up as an artistic outlet. “I needed an escape route, and drag for me was being able to paint on a new character on my face who I couldn’t recognize in the mirror,” he says. “It was a really therapeutic way for me to learn about myself and discover these things inside of me that I didn’t know.”
Dressing up isn’t an easy feat, either. When he had first started doing drag, Whitfield would spend about three or more hours achieving a look. More recently, he has gotten his preparation time down to around 30–40 minutes, as well as expand his scope of materials. “I had more time to experiment with different materials and methods of sewing. I could play with new parts of a sewing machine,” he says. “I had a chance to elevate my looks to a new level.”
Creating his own costumes has led Whitfield to begin another endeavor, his own merch line of customized clothes called @Upperkaseclothing on Depop. Whitfield paints on many of the pieces, such as a leather jacket boasting an image of a Betty Boop figure with angel wings or a denim jacket with cartoon characters from children’s shows completely studded with spikes. Another standout is a light denim vest trimmed with pink fur and ruffles. And as for what people say when they spot Charity Kase wearing these designs? “Some people are really nice, some people are really talkative, some people tell me it isn’t Halloween,” says Whitfield. “But I am getting paid for it.” Sounds like a dream—even if it does look a bit scary.
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