In conversation with Krystal Versace

Keeping up with Krystal Versace

Krystal Versace  strives for the beauty beyond our reach: the more, the glitzier, the glammier, the better. Crowned UK’s next drag superstar at just 19, Krystal explores the intersection of identity and beauty as she finds sanctuary (and success) in the star-struck calibres. Through her newly launched online beauty school, Haus of Krystal, she opens the door to beauty through community, teaching us how to serve face the Krystal-way. With school in session and a stunning  new photo story by Bryan Torres, Prof.Krystal sat down with us to talk about the practice of performing beauty.

What first sparked your interest in drag and the beauty world?
My first ever recollection of falling in love with the world of beauty and glamour would be at a very young age. From what I can remember, I was probably around 5 when I was mesmerised by anything womanly, particularly the click clack of their heels. From there, my interest and love for femininity and the infinite world of beauty ran wild – I realised there was so much to play with that could be never-ending, and that was an awakening for me.

What does drag mean to you?
Drag to me is the place in which I can use my natural skills and channel them into one thing to display to the world. It enables someone like me, who’s a boy, to be able to access the feminine energy that the world so often punishes men for or tells them they can’t. The word ‘drag’ to me isn’t as foreign as it may seem to others. All of the icons that have been and are, Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, Cher, Gaga, are all in drag, and to me, it is a clear representation that all of the dreams I had as a little boy can be achieved by putting on my ‘drag’.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
I’m particularly inspired by women who are displayed in the media as polarising – those who have been or are ‘unattainable beauty’. Jessica Rabbit, for instance, is the perfect example of a character being put together, using every unattainable beauty standard, and every feature that society can’t help but gaze upon, and can’t help but, somewhere deep down, be in awe. That’s what I strive for, the kind of beauty you can’t take your eyes off.

You won a drag race at 19 years old, making you the youngest drag race winner ever.  What have you learned since you were crowned? How has your perspective on your art form changed since?
Winning at 19 was groundbreaking for most, but for me, it was naturally on the cards. Since then, I’ve been able to prove to myself, most importantly, that what’s meant to be will come my way, and my love and dedication to the art form and my personal morals that come with it will project me into places that even I never thought were possible. I’ve learnt the strength that it takes to persist, not only through harder times, but through barriers that most would turn back from to get what I want out of this life.

I saw you recently launched your beauty platform, Haus of Krystal! Could you share what inspired you to start Haus of Krystal?
I was inspired to do this as it’s everything I wish I had coming into this career – not just as a drag queen, but the beauty space in general. When I was coming up, I would scour the internet for the tiniest details, tips and tricks – I wanted to help people by giving them access to an easy route that would push them toward achieving their goals and just improving in general. What also inspired me is the speed at which social media moves on from things. Today’s algorithms make it easy for valuable information that you’re trying to give to people to get lost very quickly in the fast-paced environment. This means that people who are genuinely committed to the craft and want to learn, have a space to do so and a space that they can find community in and visit any time. It’s also actually allowed me to have my own community, where everybody shares the same interests and passions in a more focused, noise-free space. We get to inspire each other and remind one another it’s okay to simply play with all the colours in the crayon box.

What does it mean to GET KRYSTALIZED to you? How do you envision this interpretation of your artistry?
Get Krystalized was a term I came up with on the spur of the moment when I was on TV.  But years later, I realised that it exactly encapsulates everything I love about drag and the beauty world, and also the power of dominating spaces. So, Get Krystalized for me has fit perfectly when putting my skills to the test, and transforming high-profile guests on my YouTube channel and Patreon. It highlights my ability to not only transform, but to create the unattainable beauty from scratch and show that off.

As a master of celebrity transformation, is there any celebrity that you don’t think you wouldn’t want to transform into?
I don’t think there’s anybody in particular that I couldn’t transform into, but I would stay away from people who don’t inspire me and are just a quick, trendy click. Also, the term ‘celebrity’ is a blurry term nowadays with the storm that is social media, so no, I’m not gonna be transforming into your viral mediocre everyday person, or a fucking Labubu.

Biggest (drag) beauty misconception?
A common misconception with drag is that we are just made for certain spaces, like a TV show, or to be the token diversity member cast in something else – as mentioned previously, drag is everywhere, even if it’s not labelled as that, and I’m trying to break into those spaces that people don’t think are made for us. An example of this for me is someone like Kim Kardashian  who holds as a big inspiration for me – she is someone that has been shunned upon and seen as lesser than by society, an ill fit for large respectable places like the fashion industry, but pushed past the noise and is now dominating every space from fashion and beauty, to even acting. Another common beauty misconception is that a drag queen like me is completely different to prominent figures in pop culture. For example, and Beyoncé I aren’t that different, she puts on her drag, she has her hair that way because that’s her brand, she has on tights, corsets, and has an aura/persona that she chooses to present to the world, and you probably wouldn’t recognise her off stage, just like somebody like me.

Favourite beauty trend at the moment?
A trend I love is that the clean girl aesthetic is slowly trickling away, and glam is coming back in. It was so boring for a while, and now people are being forced to think outside the box once again, and it’s refreshing to see.

What’s next?
The next thing in the cards for me is to expand my team. You hear it all the time, but it honestly takes a village! Only in the recent months have I realised that the more you grow, you can not do it alone. No matter my ideas and ambitions, there’s only so much you can do with the small team I have, and I know that I need to carefully and surely extend that gradually to get this machine moving to achieve the vision. To me, I’m loading up the machine with a lot of petrol, but it needs some more wheels!!!

Photography, creative direction, and styling by Bryan Torres
Talent by Krystal Versace
Post production by Guille Sotelo
Photography assistance by Giovanna Fernandez  and Mauro Testa
Styling assistance by Sergio Jiménez, Hugo Checa
Talent Management by Ethan Greshm
Special thanks to Syndical Chamber, Dominnico, Jane Bardot, Xiaowa