Griffin Maxwell Brooks is a ‘90s club kid in the 21st century

To call Griffin Maxwell Brooks multifaceted is an understatement. The 23-year-old is a self-proclaimed “bimbo, DJ, club kid, nuisance” on Instagram, but even that description only scratches the surface on the depths of Brooks — and Brooks gets deep. 

As a Division 1 Diver for Princeton University (where they graduated in 2023 with a degree in engineering), Brooks advanced to the Ivy League Championships in the 2019-2020 school year. Even in their portrait for the team, Brooks can’t help but capture your attention, adorned with thick black eyeliner and a pearl necklace.

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As a DJ, Brooks has become a staple of New York City’s nightlife, working with event producers like the iconic Susanne Bartsch. During Pride this year, they’ll appear as a DJ at LadyLand 2024, a queer music festival that Brooks will play on Friday, June 28. They join a stacked lineup with beloved queer performers like Kim Petras, Horsegiirl, and Slayyyter. (Anyone who can’t make it out to hear Brooks’ beats in person can vibe on a digital dancefloor: a set they played last year at Book Club Radio is available online.)

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Brooks was inspired to stake their claim in nightlife by “the ’90s club kids like James St. James,” as they told Queerty last year. 

“I just always thought the art was so fascinating,” they said. “I really liked how the art was tied into gender and sexuality and the queer community, and how people who I think were shunned by the rest of society were hailed in that time period. So I started going to events that still reflected those values, when I felt like it was safe to do.”

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But Brooks’ notoriety began on TikTok, where they create comedy, fashion, and queer social justice content for over one million followers. Brooks can be found on TikTok styling welder jackets, mixing queer icon Chappel Roan with New Order, or just chatting to the camera about life and making people laugh.

When it comes to fashion, Brooks’ style is off-the-wall, androgynous, and authentically their own. Almost always clad in designer, whether it be the legendary Vivienne Westwood or the rising fashion brand Sons of Gemini, Brooks is beloved for their cheeky styling instincts and fearless fashion choices. 

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Beyond being an online fashion icon, Brooks’ influence secured them a position repping New York Fashion Week’s as an interviewer. In a recent video, Brooks sported a black leather top with dramatic shoulders paired with a long black skirt while interviewing New York ballroom legend Kevin Aviance about his personal style & NYFW protocol.

For Brooks, bold fashion choices are comfortable. In another interview for NYFW, Brooks wore a painted and studded denim jacket backwards while asking maximalist, sustainable stylist Sara Camposarcone about her fashion choices.

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Whether it’s online, in the DJ booth, or just on the streets of NYC, Brooks is well on their way to establishing themself as a New York icon. ♦

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