BeBe Zahara Benet
After moving to Orlando, FL early in 2017, I wanted to explore my new surroundings and that included going to some local drag shows. At one particular show, as I was leaving, BeBe Zahara Benet happened to be up at the bar meeting fans. Since I had been a fan of hers since season 1 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I introduced myself and, on a whim, decided to give her my business card. A couple months later, I was ecstatic when she contacted me to create a custom piece for an upcoming television appearance. At the time, I was unaware that she would be appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 3, or that my head piece would be worn during her finale runway look.
It was a rather surreal experience to see something I made walk the runway of a show I had been watching for years. After her appearance on AS3, she was scheduled to be at RuPaul’s Dragcon that following May. She contacted me again to keep the jungle cat theme going, and commissioned two more head pieces: a gold cheetah crown and a large lion mouth headdress. You can see more pictures and video of BeBe on her Instagram account.
Gold Cheetah Crown
Watch BeBe as she walks the Crowned Queens Runway wearing her Gold Cheetah Crown at RuPaul’s Dragcon LA 2018
This cheetah crown is the first of two custom headpieces I made for BeBe’s appearances at RuPaul’s Dragcon LA 2018. We agreed on a concept, and I sculpted the cheetah in Chivant clay on a form. From there, it was molded in plaster and cast in mask latex and a flexible polyfoam. Once cast, I cleaned it up and painted it with several layers of metallic bronze and gold paints with black rhinestones among it’s many spots.
Lion Headdress
Check out BeBe wearing her Queen of the Jungle head piece on Hey Qween TV filmed at RuPaul’s Dragcon LA 2018
This headdress was meant to be large and bold! It went through quite a journey, starting with a pattern I created and cut out of EVA foam. I then added upholstery foam for extra structure before covering it in fur. The mane is made from wefts of hair I created from three different colors of hair and layered together. Around the eyes, nose, and mouth were all sculpted in Apoxie Sculpt and painted, then coated with gloss. They eyes went through a few transformations from gold, to multicolored, red rhinestones, to topaz rhinestones.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3 Finale Jaguar Headpiece
See BeBe walk the Runway of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3 wearing her Jaguar Head Piece
This head piece was the first custom piece I made for BeBe. She contacted me in June of 2017 about making a custom cat head piece as a new take on a cat head piece she wore on her original season of drag race. Our initial design was for a cheetah, but after discussing the design of the spots on her gown, we changed it to a jaguar. This piece was sculpted in chivant clay on a form, then molded in plaster and cast in mask latex and flexible polyfoam. I then cleaned it up and painted it with metallic air brushing and multi-colored rhinestone eyes. The whole project came together in a tight timeline of only 2 weeks! It was a lot of work, but I was very proud of the results.
I love it when I can create something that can be used in a performance or show of some kind. It is so much fun to see how the model brings my work to life! If you would like to work with me to make that perfect piece to complete your costume or look, please contact me with your vision!