Dua Saleh Is Breaking Boundaries in Fashion, TV, and Music
Because fighting gender norms is more prevalent than ever these days, Wildfang, a gender-fluid fashion house brand, is proud to present its newest collection that offers opportunities for gender nonconforming expression.
The new series provides a wide range of silhouettes that fit all forms of gender expression (from ultra-femme to masculine and everything in-between) with gender-neutral, size-inclusive styles (XS-3X) that look incredible on him/her/them—everyone. For the first time, Wildfang unveiled a six-way corset along with a satin cami, wide-leg trouser with a matching double-breasted vest and blazer, a sheer button up and more.
Additionally, the collection’s new campaign features hot up-and-coming talent including Dua Saleh, who OFM had the pleasure of chatting with.
Born in Sudan but raised in the Midwest, Saleh is a queer, nonbinary musician and actor who invites listeners into an undefined space through full-sensory lyricism and the singularity of their distinct voice. They began to establish a name for themselves after their debut EP Nūr, received critical acclaim. In 2021, they made their acting debut as Cal Bowman, the first nonbinary character in Netflix’s hit series Sex Education.
They took some time to talk more about collaborating with Wildfang, playing Cal, and their artistry.
Can you begin by telling us more about Wildfang’s new collection and campaign that you’re featured in?
Wildfang has a collection of gender-neutral, accessible clothing of all different sizes and ranges. It’s a bright collection, and they highlighted the stories of the people who are championing the campaign. There were three nonbinary people on the campaign, and then people of different bodies and different races. They interviewed us, and we spoke about our connection to magic, the arts, our queerness, and our experiences in our respective artistic industries.
How important are clothing brands like Wildfang?
Oh my God, they’re so instrumental. I feel like if I had known that there were brands that would champion people in the way that they do, like in the way that Wildfang does, I would have had more confidence in myself when I was younger. Also, being somebody from Minnesota, somebody that we really love in Minnesota is Lizzo. Seeing somebody come from the artistic space in Minnesota and becoming the icon that she is, it’s great to see her championing Wildfang because she knows there are gender-neutral ways of navigating the fashion world. Wildfang also addresses fatphobia, anti-blackness, racism, and several different things.
Do you have a favorite clothing item from them?
Yeah, I’m actually wearing the pants that they gave me right now. They kept me very warm this morning. I had to go in at 6:00 a.m. to shoot Sex Education, and while everybody else was freezing, I was pretty good during the read-through (laughs).
What did you enjoy the most about being involved with this campaign?
It was cool that they focused so much on my music during the interview. Oftentimes, people talk about Sex Education, which I’m obviously grateful for, it’s such a wonderful show to be on, but it was cool to be recognized for the other work that I do, especially since I’m a newer artist.
Why do you think there’s still a certain stigma when it comes to clothing?
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I think everybody has insecurities when it relates to clothing because of the vigorously hateful way the fashion industry has kept some different identities out of the limelight. Some people are still clinging onto these archaic, traditional understandings of clothing, the ways they’re meant to be worn, and the roles that people are meant to play when they wear them.
My experiences growing up, like most other people, we kind of had to follow traditional gender roles to fit into our respective friend groups and whatnot. I often deviated from that, and I felt the weight of social pressure and people wanting me to dress a particular way so that it was easier for everybody else to engage with me or know how to engage with me.
When I was a kid, I would wear a lot of boy’s clothing, so I’d often get gendered as a boy, which wasn’t an issue for me because I feel like I identified as a boy when I was younger. When people found out that I wasn’t a cis boy as a kid, they would be shocked and would do everything that they could to gender me as a girl. So, I suppose that’s an example. People are fearful of being rejected by not being the norm.
Would you say clothing also allows you to artistically express yourself?
I think so. On certain days, I want to swim in my clothing. I just want to be swallowed completely in clothing, and that sometimes helps with my gender dysphoria. Other days, I might be more expressive and brighter, and that helps to energize me. Clothing is an art form, which is why styling and fashion is such a huge part of most people’s lives.
While doing my research for this interview, I came across some articles where you said you don’t believe you would be a creative if you weren’t nonbinary or queer? Can you elaborate on that?
I feel like queerness just in general allows me to have access to a certain cultural understanding of myself and what I want. Queer and trans people tend to be a little bit more in tune with cycles of fashion because we care so much about how we adorn ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world, and I feel that trans feminine people are kind of championing a lot of changes in fashion. Trans and queer people just in general are making shifts and changes.
Also, at least for me, it allows me to tap into that childhood version of myself and lets me express myself, heal myself, and allow myself to be the person that I wanted to be when I was a kid. Society, amongst a number of other things, like people in my life, wanted me to suppress that part of me, so I feel that queerness attributes to a lot of my understanding of myself.
I would now like to ask you a couple questions about your role as Cal on Netflix’s hit series Sex Education. How did it feel to play the show’s first nonbinary character?
It felt good, and I was really shocked to hear from them initially. I’m pretty sure they reached out to me because of my music because I don’t know how else they would have known about me (laughs). I was supposed to go on my first tour before the pandemic hit, and after the pandemic hit, Sex Education reached out to me.
At the time, I was thinking a lot about my career and the trajectory of what legacy I wanted to leave behind as an artist, and having the show come to me and asking me to portray a portion of my identity that’s not only very sacred to me but is constantly kind of being scrutinized and villainized by different socio-cultural and socio-political powers, that was tremendously empowering and surprising.
Sex Education also marked your acting debut. What was it like being on set for the first time?
Oh my God, it was very nerve racking! My first day on set was when we shot the scene where Jackson and I are walking on that cliff, and it just felt like a dream. I was pinching myself being like, “Am I really doing this and playing such a significant role?” I binged the show a couple days before auditioning, and I didn’t realize how amazing the show was. So, coming onto set, it felt very nerve wracking and kind of daunting. Having that huge, fantastical, Narnia-esque type thing. Walking up and being like, whoa, what am I walking into? But everyone was very nice and helped me see the way.
Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from Cal’s storyline?
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I just want people to feel joy in seeing Cal, and I hope that they feel affirmed by them. I get several messages from people being like, Cal helped them either come out to their parents or helped them understand themselves better. That’s something that I cherish a lot because I feel like that’s what the childhood version of me was kind of seeking. We need to see ourselves on screen, and that’s what I want people to see. I also want people to understand that Cal is a complex person with their own personality, and that their transness isn’t their entire being.
Are you allowed to give us any hints as to what we can expect from Cal in Season 4?
I’m not sure if I can talk about that, but it’s exciting. I’m also excited about the new characters that are coming on. There are two more trans characters, and I think it’s important for people to champion them as well because they’re incredible. I think people will be very empowered to see so much trans representation.
As you said earlier, before acting, you were establishing yourself as a music artist. Do you currently have any projects in the works?
Yes, I’m working on an album for the first time. I’ve done three EPs, and I recently released a deluxe EP of my last one called Crossover. It’s a dance EP, and it was written right after I came off of Sex Education. We were in shutdown, so I wanted music to dance to. Everybody was too depressed and stressed from COVID.
Where do you pull a lot of inspiration from for your music?
I feel like it just comes from myself. What I’m feeling, my desires, and my anxieties. I sometimes talk about my exes and people from my past. There’s a lot to my queer, messy self (laughs). It’s just like any other art form.
What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?
To give some insight on the next album that I’m working on, I want to bring in more joy. There’s such a deficit of joy within the U.S. because of all the anti-queer anti-trans legislation that’s coming about or constantly being put into place, so I feel like I wanted to create moments of tenderness and bliss. I want people to feel that and not this dark energy that’s being put into the world.
Stay up-to-date and connect with Saleh by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @doitlikedua. For more on Wildfang, visit wildfang.com.
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