I'd love to team up with you for On Our Sleeves.' And sure enough, Nina got right back to me and said 'Yes, yes, yes.' And we became Superheroes of Kindness together for children's mental health.Īshley Eckstein and Nina West’s friendship doesn’t go back to RuPaul’s Drag Race or any of Eckstein’s many popular Star Wars projects, but because of their mutual support for Nationwide Children’s Hospital and On Our Sleeves. Nina being an absolute icon in the Columbus area – I mean, Nina even has a street named after her in Columbus, Ohio – I reached out to Nina and I said 'Look, I know you're an advocate for mental health as well. We did an event for Disney together via Zoom and then I slid into Nina's DMs because Nina is from Columbus, Ohio, and I do a lot of work with Nationwide Children's Hospital and their On Our Sleeves movement for children's mental health.

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! Nina has become one of my dearest friends over the pandemic. There can be no doubt that she’s a great fit for the geek couture fashion show coming to SDCC on July 21, but how did the connection with Ashley Eckstein of Star Wars: The Clone Wars come about? Eckstein opened up, saying:

Nina West is a drag icon known for her appearance in Season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as her music, activism, and advocacy.

Ashley eckstein website