Title: Velour, The Drag Magazine's Brilliant Illustrated History of Realness (Exclusive)
Headings: Velour, The Drag Magazine
's Brilliant Illustrated History of Realness (Exclusive)

Velour, The Drag Magazine 's Brilliant Illustrated History of Realness (Exclusive)
OUT: What's your mission for Velour? Who do you hope it speaks to?
Why did you choose "realness" as this issue's theme?
What are your biggest challenges re: putting together the mag? And your biggest rewards?
What is it about the Brooklyn drag scene that intrigues/inspires you?
How do you feel about the continued mainstreaming of drag?
What is the future of drag?
You can order your copy of Velour here —and click here for more of Laurel Lynn Leake's work.

Content: For us, it's really been a matter of working with people that we know first. We are surrounded by so many brilliant close friends, it was natural to start close to home! How do you feel about the continued mainstreaming of drag? I mean..."mainstream" is a little generous, right?! I think 90% of drag in this country is still cutting edge, strange, very gay, and under-appreciated! But I know what you mean...I do think Drag Race has shifted people's expectations for what drag is supposed to look like...sometimes in good ways, sometimes in more mainstreaming ways. But drag is always going to be full of many different directions. If anything, the popularity of drag has pushed "weird drag" even further, to keep innovating, to think outside the box. I feel like we are in a real renaissance period for drag—and it runs the gamut from high fashion runways to underground punk trash monstrosities. Velour wants to capture all of that, and everything in between!