Jericho Habib is a New York–based artist, advocate and visionary whose creativity refuses to exist within the confines of aesthetics alone. Currently ranking first in the Colossal Style Icon competition—a nationwide campaign supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation—Jericho has turned what began as a fashion challenge into a heartfelt mission to merge art with purpose. With a decade-long history in competitive pageantry, he approaches the runway not just as a performer, but as a catalyst for dialogue, compassion and social change.
Motivated by both lived experience and empathy, Jericho envisions using the competition’s $20,000 prize to launch an innovative fashion show that spotlights New York’s homeless community—offering participants housing, styling and a platform to be seen. His mission transcends glamour; it’s about dignity, hope and reclaiming identity. Drawing inspiration from his own past struggles and his deep awareness of global HIV/AIDS issues, Jericho uses his artistry to challenge complacency and stigma. For him, style is not vanity—it’s voice. It’s resistance. It’s the mirror of a world that can, through creativity, become more compassionate and inclusive.
What inspired you to enter the Colossal Style Icon competition, and how does it connect to your mission as both an artist and an advocate for the Elton John AIDS Foundation?
I first learned about it through an ad. I was skeptical at first. I did my research. I found out it was an experience that would bridge the arts to a more meaningful purpose. Which was about the AIDS Foundation. As an artist, I have always been in tune with politics. Very politically in tune. And I think everything is political. As an artist, we have our culture world and we have boundaries that we create with what you can and can’t do and what is acceptable. But what also inspires people. When you inspire people, when it challenges them to think, when it inspires them to kick in front of problems we are facing as a society, then to me, I have done my job. I feel that this platform in particular is an opportunity for me to not only be able to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, but also the $20,000 prize is an attractive opportunity for anyone to say “I want the money”. So I’m really hoping to, as a New Yorker, use that money for an exciting project in the city that we can talk about later.
You’re currently ranked first in your group. How has this experience impacted you personally and professionally as you merge fashion, creativity and social awareness?
As a competitor, I have a history. I won’t say long because that is subjective. I have about a 10-year history of competing in pageantry. Particularly gay pageants. Not really the mainstream arena. So, breathing and living that space is very competitive. I learned even when I was the national title holder, when you win a title, the competition has not ended. Because your reign is in competition with other reigns. So there is this huge obsession with competition. I think, while I’m not obsessed with competition, it still has influenced me and how I think. About how I raise the standards of creativity that I bring to the stage. Those things have definitely pushed me in this contest. To get the word out. During Halloween, I have this beautiful Jafar costume. You can see the picture in the profile. I went to Times Square and I felt like one of those caricatures. I didn’t take money. But I wanted to raise awareness for this campaign in a creative way. During the time when people are out celebrating taking pictures.
You’ve mentioned wanting to use the prize money to launch an initiative supporting New York’s homeless population. Can you tell us more about what that project would look like and how it ties into your creative vision?
As a New Yorker, every day I wrestle with homelessness. I have been homeless before. I lived in my car for a few weeks before I was able to really find housing. When you’re really trying to settle and establish yourself, there is a personal story. But when you walk in the streets every day, it’s impossible to ignore homelessness. Sometimes it feels like a war zone. Where people are laying up in the street and you’re not even sure that they’re alive. So I wanted to really think of something innovative. Something that could be life-changing. This initiative that I am hoping to implement if I win it is not to solve homelessness. Essentially, it is to create a fashion show where we would have agents and fashion agencies come out. There would be a process where my team would find 10 or 15 homeless people and we would create an experience for them. They would have housing for a few days. So that means money with a hotel. And these are people that we think have potential on the runway. I think that the mission of this project is not to solve homelessness and there are other issues that could emerge around what happens after the experience. But the purpose of this experience is to create an experience. I think homeless people feel very unseen. They feel very unheard. They feel very dislocated from society. My hope in this project is to give them a moment to be seen just walking down the runway and having people clap for them. Giving them a chance to feel good about themselves. I think there could be an opportunity for agents to say, “Hey, we can work with that person. This is someone that looks unique, that looks different.” Or it could just be a moment of inspiration for them to say, “I feel motivated now to get the help I need. Or to change the course of my life.” The core purpose here is that the small moments in our lives can make a dramatic difference.
Why is raising awareness for HIV/AIDS such an important cause for you, and how do you believe the arts community can help fight stigma and drive change?
I think we live in a time now in American society where we–not speaking on behalf but as part of the queer community–there is a strong sentiment that we are post HIV and post AIDS. I think that is a very dangerous sentiment. Our medical advancements. Our technological advancements. However, I don’t think that lens is broad enough. I don’t think the war against HIV has ended. And it certainly has not ended on a global scale. I am a global thinker. I believe that when we come together across the world, we can solve problems and we can learn from each other. Even the connection between homelessness and AIDS is intertwined. There is a disproportionate number of the homeless population who have HIV or AIDS. So I think those systems of repression are definitely intertwined. This is an opportunity to bridge that gap from the arts and culture perspective. There is a huge stigma on testing. I will speak for my personal experience. If I’m going for an HIV test, my heart pumps. I get nervous. I think that nervousness, even if I abstain from sex, there is still this strange feeling that you could have AIDS. I think it’s very easy to say, “Let’s remove the stigma” and there are these very fluffy campaigns to remove the stigma. Let’s create more accessibility so you see more boosts. I’ll be honest. I have served on Pride organizations and I continue to serve on Pride organizations. I see tons of HIV booths. It’s so accessible in New York City. But a lot of my friends that work in that space tell me our numbers are low. We are not getting enough people that come and get tested. On the one hand, accessibility is a problem, like where we can get tested. But the deeper issue that we have not solved yet is the stigma. I don’t think it’s enough for artists and creatives to just come on stage and say “Go get tested”. That has been the approach, but I think there is something deeper that we need to work on. Prevention is huge. But how we prevent is a big question I don’t think we have resolved yet.
If you win the Style Icon competition, how do you plan to use the visibility and platform to continue uplifting others and advancing your advocacy work?
On the one hand, I think it’s going to be a huge opportunity to build global connections. Part of the prize is attending Milan Fashion Week. Being able to really lift my platform on a larger scale, I have competed and I have won national titles before, but those are titles. And now, the question has changed, so I think if I were to win the overall contest, it would allow me to advocate at a global level. It would allow me to advance in a collaboration with other people who think like me. People who want to create change. Also, just being inspired. We all need inspiration. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we have reached our peak of learning or creativity. But I’m hungry for more inspiration.
