You’ve never seen your favorite drag queens like this! Celebrity stylist Brad Goreski teamed up with World of Wonder — the company that produces Ru Paul’s Drag Race — to create a new show that takes a look back at how the top drag queens became the icons that they are today. Brad sat down with Life & Style exclusively to reveal everything you need to know about his flashy, fun, and fashionable new show Iconic. 

LS: How did the idea for Iconic come about?

BG: I kinda felt like people just want to laugh and have fun right now, and I wanted to do something that fulfills me creatively. I’m such a big fan of drag and Drag Race so I wanted to meld my knowledge in fashion with drag and we came up with Iconic and it’s been really, really, really fun.

LS: What should fans expect while watching the show?

BG: The queens do three of their favorite looks and model them, and we discuss them and talk about what inspired their drag personas and fashion when they started, and as they matured or grew more into their drag, how that changed and how fashion influences them.

LS: Did you learn anything about the queens that truly surprised you?

BG: I think there’s a really nice spirit within the drag community, as competitive as it is. They all shared really nice stories about how when they were starting out, another drag queen helped them, showed them the ropes or loaned them a dress and helped finetune their craft. It was really nice hearing that sense of community. Then some shade comes right after, but there are those sweet moments.

LS: If you could dress any queen for an event, who would it be?

BG: Oh Ru Paul, hands down. I’ve been a huge fan of Ru’s for like a very, very long time. Like the 90s when “Supermodel (You Better Work)” came out. Ru Paul has kind of always been such a pioneer but she was also one of the people that keyed me into the world of drag and also letting every day be runway. Ultimately, here I am as a celebrity stylist. I think what Drag Race has done, and World of Wonder creating Drag Race, is so important. 

I went to DragCon and moderated a panel there [which Brad’s doing again this year from Sept. 28-30 and you can buy tickets here.] I brought a really good friend, Jamie, who’s a makeup artist and her daughter, who’s seven years old and obsessed with drag queens. She knew every single one, what their tag line was, their best outfits, who fought with who, it transcends age, gender, sexuality, everything. That’s a really great thing, so I was very eager to join the World of Wonder family and get this little fun show Iconic up an running.

LS: Pop culture borrows so much from the drag community, including their lingo. What do you think about that?

BG: I think “werk,” “yas,” “okurr,” the click clack of the tongue, all of that stuff… I use it in my styling. My clients use it. I’m not aware of it being offensive to the drag community, so I think it’s kind of become a universal language. It’s definitely part of our vernacular, and I think we can definitely thank the drag community for that, and they just keep them coming!

LS: You’ve done a little drag of your own on Instagram, how was that experience?

BG: I just kind of decided that I was just going to do things that make me laugh and thought were entertaining for myself. I’m a big Ariana Grande fan so as a gift my assistant made that album cover with my face on it for my birthday and I got the wig for my birthday I’ve been in drag myself on my instagram. 

It’s nice because we can use social media, so many people have reached out to me saying ‘I was having such a terrible day then I clicked on your video and it made me smile,’ and that was the whole idea behind Iconic, I wanted people to look forward to something that made them laugh and learn something about fashion or a movie star from the past they’d never heard of before that inspired one of these drag queens.

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LS: What would you like fans to get from watching the show, and where do you see drag heading in upcoming years?

BG: The hope with the show was to help introduce to younger viewers to references that they might not know like Betty Page, or Thierry Mugler. I think the drag world, the ante has been upped, and through Drag Race we’ve seen that happen, but there are so many platforms. I honestly think drag makes the world a better place an it’s really having such an influence through Ru Paul’s Drag Race, it’s reaching the masses and that helps with acceptance, visibility helps with acceptance on all levels and it’s a wonderful thing. I’m happy to be a part of that. 

Stream Iconic on World of Wonder’s subscription service WOW Presents Plus, right now!