LED QUEENS
The Queer-Superhero Origin Story of LED Queens
Today, the name LED Queens invokes images of muscles, bodybuilding, 80’s neon, synthwave music, rainbows and superheroes, but the brand’s origin comes from a powerful source: books. I have written and published 7 books of fiction across two series: 13 Secret Cities and 9 Lords of Night; both are part of The Coil series, a dystopian thriller where the Aztec gods and goddesses enter our dimension as the United States sinks into a fascist, authoritarian dystopia. I also wrote the dark and erotic book series How to Kill a Superhero under the pen name Pablo Greene. I self published all my books, and doing so pushed me to be more creative than my peers about how to reach an audience and service their needs.
When I launched How to Kill a Superhero in the 2010’s, I designed and sold limited-edition spandex items as official merchandise for each book. Why did I do this? Because my gay and queer readers wanted something better than just t-shirts. What they wanted was to feel like superheroes. The first items I designed were colorful wrestling singlets, which sold out immediately. After the singlets sold, I experimented with designing gym tights using powerful bursts of color and homages to the past and the future of fashion. To my surprise, customers came out in droves to buy this fitness gear in colors previously denied to male-presenting customers.
In 2017, I launched my brand on the Shopify platform, and I named it LED Queens. The brand is named after a trio of artificial intelligences from my sci-fi novels who have traveled from the future to our present. The name also honors LGBTQ history, the wonder of technology, and the relationship we each have with light. Over the years we have expanded our reach to all continents of the globe, providing a type of superhero uniform for those who seek fitness, a healthy and strong shape, and who live their life as queer punks. LED Queens has been embraced by gay and queer men, but my brand is for everyone. We use colors that dare speak their name.
Cesar Torres
Owner and Designer
LED Queens