The Lizard Queen on reptile reverence, creative versatility and ruling her own fashion kingdom
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
Courtesy of @the_lizard__queen
NAME NANCY MCNULTY
AGE 22
LOCATION Brighton and also London, England.
STAR SIGN Gemini
BIGGEST PET PEEVE People who walk too slow!
FAVOURITE REPTILE Bibi, my Yemen chameleon.
We all know that chameleons can acclimatise to any situation with ease, morphing their scales into a colourful illusion. Multi-faceted creative, The Lizard Queen, functions with a natural adaptability in much the same way – minus a gruelling appetite for insects. When she’s not shooting through a wide-angle lens or editing fire looks in heatmap colours, Nancy McNulty sits on her scaled scaled throne in COLD BLOODED KINGDOM (CBK); her self-launched fashion brand of avant-garde clothing for everyday wear. Through gel-spiked hair, occasional fairy wings and a penchant for sheer gloves, she bends fashion imagery into her own chromatic utopia where self-expression is the only parameter to live by.
Prior to studying BA Fashion Styling and Production at LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION, McNulty had set out as an avid vocalist: “I realised that I was more focused on the imagery and outfits of my favourite musicians, and that’s when it clicked that I was going into the wrong industry for my stage-frightened self.” Now she’s a one-woman-band in fashion. From photography to modelling there is no stopping the artist’s dexterity: she’s styled CHI VIRGO in a plethora of pearls, shot her mum as a zodiac goddess and lensed the imitable JGRREY. Her visual portfolio emits the same nostalgia of retro-zines; crinkled homemade collages that test playful boundaries in creative direction.
In that one Simpsons episode, when Lisa emerged from a swamp and declared “I am The Lizard Queen!” it naturally set off McNulty’s reptile radar. It was in second year at uni that she scanned her pet snake into a Medusa-like fabric design for CBK’s launch collection. Years later, she has slithered towards a distinct aesthetic that combines camp fantasy with “an interpretive mixture of nature and technology,” she explains. One thing’s for sure: if versatility was a game, McNulty would place right at the top of its leaderboard.
Alice May Stenson: When did you initially become interested in creating?
Nancy McNulty: I was raised in Brighton by my mum and dad. My dad's family immigrated from Donegal to London, meaning that I spent a lot of my childhood in Rural Ireland. Spending my early life surrounded by beautiful landscapes and animals on the farm definitely inspired me as I would always pay attention to the colours and textures of nature – focusing on their very intricate details. I also have a twin brother who designs games, and I grew up playing PS3 and PC games with him – that piqued my interest in technology.
AMS: How do you stay true to yourself?
NM: All my idols have always been so original: Grace Jones, Audrey Hepburn, Amy Winehouse. Just women in their own lane with a strong identity – that’s something I wish to always possess.
AMS: Let’s talk Cold Blooded Kingdom. How did it start and what’s the ethos?
NM: Cold Blooded Kingdom started in my second year uni house, I had a snake called Mani and a bearded dragon called Ziggy living with me. I used to get my snake out so she could wander around my room and one time I was scanning some items for uni – I suddenly thought to myself what it would look like to place her on the scanner. She slithered across and the image I was left with really intrigued me. Some time later I scanned my bearded dragon as well, created a fabric pattern with my good friend Rosie who owns NIIHAI, and we collaborated on a collection together named CBNH.
I feel like it was born out of my need to create something that I wanted to wear but hadn’t seen anywhere. I always wanted to wear gloves with matching bodysuits on a night out. I wanted to have fun with it, and wanted the garments to have an interesting anecdote behind them so that people could tell their friends a story about the garment they were wearing. I don’t take it too seriously, which I think is super important in fashion – I like big camp colourful things that make an impression. My garments aren’t for any specific gender, the pricing is accessible, they’re just made for people that want to have fun with their outfits.
AMS: Describe your own imaginary kingdom. What would it look like?
NM: Probably a bit like Singapore, a garden city, but with loads of rural space, waterfalls and oceans. There would be animals everywhere, it would be filled with complimentary colours, and would never be cold.
AMS: Why did you choose to explore a variety of roles, from stylist to photographer?
NM: I guess I’ve always enjoyed loads of different aspects of creation: I’ve designed, styled, shot, produced, and I’m also a model. I never stop and think about why I made the choice to explore all these roles, I just felt passionate about so many things, and life’s a bit too short to choose one, right?
AMS: Where do you look for aesthetic inspiration?
NM: The first images I were truly inspired by came from fashion photographer Tim Walker – he’s just always been in a league of his own. I also love the work of Lee Alexander McQueen and NICK KNIGHT. I grew up on Studio Ghibli and Pan’s Labyrinth so I definitely find myself being drawn towards magical realism.
AMS: Your work uses surreal elements. How does experimentation fit into your process?
NM: I feel as though experimentation IS my artistic process. I can never even re-create my own images when I’m editing! I play around, print, rip and paint so much that it’s hard to even remember the process. I just like my work to look like a different reality, something to escape into.
AMS: You can only wear one outfit for eternity. What does it look like?
NM: Some sort of superhero suit, preferably with a look of snake skin. Maybe like a MUGLER one-piece.
AMS: Cold Blooded Kingdom in three words...
NM: Fun, experimental, slithery?
AMS: Your mum has modelled for you previously. How important is family to you?
NM: Family is everything to me. I don’t know who I’d be without my mum, she’s always supportive of my creative endeavours, even if she doesn’t understand them fully. I’ve made her walk around in the woods barefoot in winter and pose almost fully naked – she never complains.
AMS: Do you have any fashion faux-pas?
NM: The extreme side fringe, anything Hollister and Gola bags. Maybe they were all just a Brighton thing?
AMS: You’ve exhibited at an art show that celebrates women. Which are some other societal issues that you advocate for?
NM: Any issue surrounding social inequality interests me, I seek to educate myself more everyday, I want to be aware of every structure put in place that is used to oppress people, whether it be driven by class, gender, race or sexuality. I donate where I can, I’ve raised funds on my Depop for the Bail Project, and I recently took part in an Adam and Eve auction which was raising money for black youth in London. I wouldn’t call it advocating as such, just trying to be aware, learn about the privilege I hold, unlearn subconscious bias, and help in any way I know how, which is really what we all should be doing. I like to have a good rant about the Tories every now and then as well.
AMS: If you could add fantasy features to yourself what would you choose?
NM: Can I choose the whole works? I would love elf ears, and wings that I can put away when they get annoying.
AMS: How did time studying at LCF shape your vision?
NM: I studied Fashion Styling and Production and it was a lot of fun, very hands on which is how I learn best. I loved the teachers since they all had very different ways of teaching and creating. I’d never really shot or styled before LCF – I was actually a singer who played guitar and enrolled at BIMM (Brighton Music College) for two years before dropping out. My degree changed everything I knew about the creative industries, I always saw it from the outside as this very intimidating entity that was heavily possessed by gatekeepers. I was always interested in fashion and photography but the teachers there allowed me to fully explore this and I didn’t feel swayed in any certain direction which I think was so important, there was complete freedom and this enthusiasm for my work that I had never experienced before – not even from myself.
AMS: When you’re not working, what else do you enjoy doing?
NM: Cooking, making cocktails, walks, arts and crafts and sea-swimming. I still play guitar and sing when I get a moment. And I love to spend a lot of time around family and friends.
AMS: First thing you’ll do post-pandemic?
NM: Travel! It brings me so much joy I can’t wait.
AMS: What can we expect next from you?
NM: A large collection of Cold Blooded Kingdom gloves, a visual book, some funky EP covers, and keep your eyes open at the magazine store...