How Fashion Brands Are Celebrating Pride Month
Styles that support marginalized communities—and add some color to your closet.
By SHELBY YING HYDE - published
Indya Moore for Awe Inspired (Photo: Awe Inspired)
With Pride Month in full effect, companies are showcasing their support for the LBGTQ+ community. However, when it comes to deciding which initiatives are worth backing, it's important to do your due diligence and invest (time and money) in brands that are going beyond rainbow-emblazoned products and catchy phrases. Thankfully, there are several fashion labels that are committed to giving back to queer communities, while offering shoppers fashion-forward options for their closets in the process.
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By the time June rolls around, brands are rainbow-focused. But the proof is in the way that they show up for marginalized communities during Pride and beyond. A prime example, jewelry brand Awe Inspired has partnered with Pose star Indya Moore on a campaign commemorating Marsha P. Johnson, an American activist and member of the queer community who is known best for contributing to the Stonewall uprising in 1969. The label is selling pendants featuring Johnson's portrait with 100 percent of the proceeds being donated to The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which helps protect and defend the human rights of Black transgender people. Meanwhile, cult underwear label Parade has put together a collection dubbed Outside the Lines and is donating 2,000 pairs of underwear to LGBTQ+ organizations in need.
For more fashion brands, both big and small, that are doing the necessary work, continue ahead. There are plenty of items worth bringing into your closet that will support a bigger cause too.
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To celebrate Pride, Coach launched a campaign featuring Bob the Drag Queen, Miles Heizer, Rina Sawayama, and more. Taking it a step further, the brand's foundation made donations to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, as well as the Albert Kennedy Trust, Point Foundation, and CenterLink Community of LGBTQ to help young people find support.
Ten percent of proceeds of Aureum's new Ophelia signet styles will be donated to the OutRight Action International foundation to help defend the basic human rights for the LGBTQ+ communities.
Jewelry band The Clear Cut has partnered with OutRight Action International and is committed to donating 5 percent of all proceeds from this colorful choker to the LGBTQ+ community, to help the defending and advancement of their basic human rights.
Famed shoe designer Jimmy Choo has partnered with Pose star and all-around fashion savant Billy Porter to bring you an understated collection for Pride. The luxury brand's new collection is available in extended sizes (up to a women's US15) as a way to be more inclusive, and has donated US$100,000 to support The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization.
Luxury Italian house Versace teamed up with iconic pop star Lady Gaga's Born this Way Foundation to create a small capsule collection that's chic, yet understated enough to be integrated into your everyday wardrobe. A portion of the proceeds will go to the foundation. Named after one of the singer's most popular songs, the organization supports the wellness of young people.
Amazon-owned retailer Shopbop spotlighted a variety of LGBTQ+ tastemakers and a curated selection of pieces inspired by their personal style. The online shopping destination has committed to donating 20 percent of sales and $15,000 to the Human Rights Campaign.
When you buy Rellery's colorful reissue of its signature Checker Ring, 50 percent of all proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project, which supports young LGBTQ people.
Paying homage to a Black queer activist, jewelry brand Awe Inspired partnered with Indya Moore for its Pride Month campaign. All sales of the pendant, designed specifically for the occasion, go to The Marsha P. Johnson Institute to help support Black queer communities.
Parade launched two color-coded bundles dubbed Outside the Lines. The cult label has committed to donating 2,000 pairs of underwear to a range of LGBTQ organizations in need.
J.Crew released a selection of hats, tees, tanks, and other pieces for Pride Month, plus the brand is committed to donating 50 percent of sales to PFLAG, the first and largest organization for LGBTQ people and their parents, families, and allies.
Jewelry brand Roxanne Assoulin designed colorful choker and bracelet stacks as a part of its Rainbow Brite collection for Pride Month. For each item purchased, 20 percent of sales will be donated to the Gay Center, which celebrates diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity.
Madewell tapped artist Lisa Congdon to design a collection of love-inspired styles for Pride Month. Plus, 50 percent of sales from the offering will be donated to ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), which seeks to champion everyone’s individual rights and liberties.
This article first appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US