Dress

This dress was made by New Zealand fashion label The Carpenter’s Daughter and worn by Bella Simpson. Bella (born 1996) is a young trans woman who came out socially as a transgender girl when she was 11 years old, and began a public life as a trans advocate when she was 12.

Through her activism and advocacy work, Bella has been invited to significant cultural, political and royal events. In 2016, she was invited to Parliament to speak to the 30th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act. She was asked to talk about what the challenges were for young trans people over the next 30 years. 'The one community I do worry about...the most is the young trans community...these young people aren't feeling safe, supported, respected or heard.... When a young trans person comes out, they are constantly having to educate others including their teachers; they are having to deal with questions that no one should have to answer. They are having to constantly justify their identity. It often means that they have to stand up and be out and proud to fight the discrmination that they face' (Simpson 2016).

Bella wore this dress for the event. Over the years she has carefully built her wardrobe of New Zealand fashion designer dresses to find a grown-up style and create a brand for herself.