EXCLUSIVE: Violet Chachki Shares Their Personal Kinks and New Fetish-Inspired Swim Line DARDO

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It’s been 11 years since Jason Paul Dardo won season seven of Ru Paul’s Drag Race as Violet Chachki. Since then, Dardo has traveled the world performing in sold out drag and burlesque shows, collaborated with brands including Prada, Moschino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Levi’s, Pat McGrath Labs, and Huda Beauty, and appeared the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Dazed, i-D and more. And now, he’s launching his own line of demi-couture swimwear!

“I actually went to school for fashion design before dropping out to pursue drag full-time,” says Dardo. “So I’m really just returning to the initial reason I got into drag in the first place: step one, the outfit.”

His new line, DARDO, launches with a tightly curated offering of seven original designs inspired by fetish culture, including five swimsuits — a one piece and four briefs — a graphic tee shirt, and a pair of leather-clad sunglasses designed to resemble a blindfold. It’s all very “Tom of Finland meets Moschino,” which is exactly what Dardo was going for. “Moschino will always be an influence as well because these clothes are not meant to be serious. The clothes that I make are supposed to be lighthearted and fun… But, ultimately, I [tried] to find that right balance between glamour and utility.”

When did you start working on DARDO?

“I have started and stopped this project for probably at least six years. I know I started a version of it during the pandemic when I had some downtime. It’s been a goal of mine for a very long time to produce a capsule collection. There was a lot of stopping and starting because I had to continue touring and working and I wanted to make sure I could really give this project the full attention it deserves. So it’s been in development for at least six years.

“I’ve had some people help me along the way here and there — mainly my patter maker, dress maker, and tailor — and then there’s been a few other people that have given me advice on production or merchandising, but I’ve had to learn a lot about clothing production and design on my own, and I will continue to learn this way it seems.”

Why did you decide to use your given name for this collection instead of your very famous stage name “Violet Chachki”?

“This project feels separate from Violet. Violet Chachki is my stage name, and this is a project that I will be doing off stage so it just feels appropriate. I think a lot of times people forget that there’s a real creative human behind the drag. As much as I love doing drag, I’m excited to see what my creativity can do in other contexts.”

There are a lot of fetish and kink influences in the collection. What is your relationship to those subcultures?

“Oh I’m very much fascinated by the fetish scene, always have been. I think first and foremost, visually, I’m drawn to the extremes of the looks themselves — the shapes, the materials. Beyond that, I’m into the escapism — the more I involve myself in the fetish community the more I realize we are all looking for the same thing escape and freedom. I think my own kinks are very cliché — I’m a super dominant and confident person, I’ve built my career on that, so I really love power play and power exchange. Sometimes it’s nice to be anonymous and to not have to think, the fetish world provides a safe space for this.”

I know you get asked this all the time, but right now, in 2026, do you have any interest in returning to RuPaul’s Drag Race?

“At this present moment, no, I don’t have any interest, but it’s always changing. After all, I am super competitive and will always have such a deep love for the art form and for what it’s provided me. What I loved about Drag Race was that it truly felt like the Olympics of drag, an interesting mix of real, uncensored queens fighting to change their lives and prove that they are the most deserving. And I know now — for me, at least — the show is simply a TV show for entertainment, bringing people joy, and that’s great too. But if I went back it would be for blood.”

How have your relationship to drag (and the show) changed since your season?

“There are pros and cons to everything. I miss how punk drag used to feel. I still get to experience those moments in a different way when I go to certain places in drag and get to take up space as a visibly queer person in spaces we wouldn’t traditionally be accepted. That’s punk too.

“I do love to see all the good the show has done for so many people discovering who they are. I just beg everyone to go back and watch the early seasons and to not skip Untucked! I want young queers to see how different and raw those first few seasons were. It’s so magical and special to have it all documented.”

What are you obsessed with right now?

“I love Hacks and The Comeback. Both shows are such funny, insightful looks at showbiz. I’m also obsessed with Facebook Marketplace. I’m kind of a hoarder; I love interior design and collecting things. I always say, “You scroll TikTok, I scroll Marketplace; we are not the same.’ And DARDO, of course.”

Who would you love to see wearing DARDO?

“I think, for this first drop, I’d love to see the boys from Heated Rivalry in the black belted grommet swim brief. I’d love to see Alex Consani in our one piece. Beyond that the clothes are meant to be fun clothes for fun people. They’re for someone who’s the life of the party and confident. I would love to like stumble into some house party on Fire Island and see somebody making out wearing my printed swim briefs. Or I’d love to see someone just going ham on the dance floor wearing the 100% pleasure T-shirt.”

Where do you see DARDO going from here?

“Ultimately, I just want to work hard and have fun — create escapism, create fantasy, not take myself too seriously, and see exactly what the depths of my creativity are. Whatever that looks like.”

Shop the collection yourself at Shopdardo.com!