Yamuna Forzani is a fashion designer, art director, organiser and member of the current Dutch ballroom scene – a community by and for trans BPOC people and non-binary and queer people of colour. In 2018 she came up with the concept of The Utopia Ball x Fashion Show: a traditional ballroom competition with an added fashion show. The concept has since grown to become an alternative platform that celebrates and strengthens the (fashion) talent of young designers and this community. In 2021, the Utopia Ball was held in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam as part of Rotterdam Pride, co organised with Seven Angels. During this ball there was a fashion show with designs from members of the Dutch and Parisian ballroom communities: Timothy Scholte, Michelle TSM, Augusto Junior and Miidorie.

Yamuna Forzani shows how empowering fashion can be: she designs and creates the whole interplay, from a strong collection to cross-disciplinary community events. A ‘third space’, where people who are excluded in many other places are given the space to exhibit their talent and identity, bursting with energy and fun, ever so far away from fashion that dictates what to wear. Utopia Ball celebrates the freedom of a super gender fluid collection; a guiding example of what fashion can and should be nowadays. Forzani designs beyond garments and the classic runway. Form and content are already well balanced, which makes us look forward to her next steps.