Ah yes, Pride Month. The one month out of the year when rainbows are not just for leprechauns and Skittles. Aside from Pride Parade though, what are some things that people do during Pride Month? No one asked, but here are the ways that I've celebrated so far:
- Played Horizon: Forbidden West every single day – traded good metal shards for a limited edition Pride Month face paint skin for Aloy.
- Listened to "Vulgar" by Sam Smith and Madonna on repeat until my cats gave me dirty looks.
- Screamed at my TV while watching The Ultimatum: Queer Love. Watched this Ultimatum parody video too many times.
- Rewatched The Mummy again. Rachel Weisz's performance as a befuddled librarian was excellent, as usual. Her lesbian icon status was reinforced.
I know what you're thinking – "This looks like any other month. Don't you do these things all year round anyway?" And I would therefore quip in response, "Why yes, you are absolutely correct. I am very gay 365 days a year." Shocking, I know, but it would appear that I cannot turn off the gay beyond the month of June. Although this is somewhat of a rhetorical remark, it is sometimes not a fully understood sentiment by brands that hop on to the Pride bandwagon come June.
As Pride Month becomes increasingly commercial, the term "rainbow washing" has unfortunately also become increasingly prevalent. It happens more often than not for brands to release half-baked capsules during June, often dipped in rainbow colorways accompanied by inclusive taglines that serve as a prodigal reminder to consumers that they are down with the LGBTQ+ community. Although it is a comfort to know that more brands are looking to acknowledge the queer consumer, it is dangerous for the true message of Pride Month to get lost amongst the deluge of rainbow products.
Pride Month is a time to honor the LGBTQ+ community and the visibility to this group that was fought for, not given to. June is a month that salutes the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals that fought for equality and liberation, first starting in 1969 after the Stonewall Riots. It is a time for the queer community to connect with one another and to come together in celebration of what it took to get to where we are today. Not to say that you should think twice before donning your rainbow gear this summer, but this is just a gentle reminder that LGBTQ+ visibility should be celebrated all year-round – whether it's supporting queer designers or being supportive when a friend comes out to you.
If you would like to do more to help raise awareness, consider supporting and donating to LGBTQ+ organizations that are committed to helping queer communities in America and beyond:
- It Gets Better Project
- LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund
- Marsha P. Johnson Institute
- Princess Janae Place
- Transgender Law Center
For a list of LGBTQ+ designers to support this month and every month, check out our roundup below.
ANONYMOUS CLUB
In 2022, Hood By Air founder Shayne Oliver debuted his new project, Anonymous Club, which came to life as a syndicate of fashion, art and music – club couture, if you will. The imprint boasts amongst its ranks a creative vanguard that comprises Tama Gucci, Izzy Spears, Total Freedom, Christian Velasquez, Santiago, Thug Pop, and Ian Isiah. With experimental silhouettes and psychedelic graphics, Oliver once again proves that he is at the forefront of subculture fashion.
ECKHAUS LATTA
Eckhaus Latta is a fashion house founded in 2011 by designer duo, Zoe Latta and Mike Eckhaus. In a 2022 Vogue article, Eckhaus shared a friend's quirky summary of the brand: "At Eckhaus Latta, you don’t have to be gay to look gay." Since the brand's inception, Eckhaus Latta has been pushing the envelope when it comes to depicting gender identities and sexuality (the brand made waves with its NSFW 2017 campaign that featured Craigslist-casted models having actual, non-simulated sex), and has garnered repute for being truly inclusive in its representation of body type, race, gender and sexuality.
ERL
Eli Russell Linnetz's seemingly meteoric rise to fame is in no small part thanks to his prolific work behind the scenes as a stage designer for Kanye West and Lady Gaga, as well as collaborator with the likes of Justin Bieber, Kid Cudi and Teyana Taylor. All of this came to a crest in May 2022 when Kim Jones debuted an ERL x Dior menswear resort collection and the rest, you may say, is history. With all campaigns and imagery produced in-house, the colorful world of ERL is a beautiful, playful, homoerotic, fantasy laced with nostalgia and California dreams.
KIDSUPER
You may not have heard of Colm Dillane, but you've definitely seen his designs through the evocative collections of Kidsuper. From Louis Vuitton guest designer to a US Soccer collaborator, Kidsuper's distinct aesthetic comes alive in the form of sketchbook graphics and cut-and-sew tailoring. Often utilizing his very own paintings as prints for his collections, Dillane is reinventing the wheel when it comes to how fashion and the hand of the artist come alive in garments.
MARSHALL COLUMBIA
Brooklyn-based designer Marshall Columbia launched his eponymous label during the pandemic and soon saw his pieces on the likes of Hunter Schafer, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. Known for larger-than-life Plush Purses, the brand is heavily inspired by childhood arts and crafts. Dipped in sprawling variations of fluorescent hues, Marshall Columbia is a playful take on the statement piece.
RICK OWENS DRKSHDW
During his rise as a fashion designer, Rick Owens garnered a lauded reputation as an extraordinarily skilled pattern maker – a renown that he first established working for Lamy, Michèle Lamy's rather successful but oft-forgotten fashion label. Of course, the relationship between Lamy and Owens is now a canon of fashion history (the two have been married for 17 years), but Owens has never shied away from the fact that he is open bisexual. Instilling an undeniable DNA of fluid sexuality into his brand (many of his branded art films are just visceral closeups of slippery bodies on bodies), Rick Owens remains an emblem of sexual freedom.
THOM BROWNE
Thom Browne first debuted his womenswear collection in 2014. Since then, he has become known for his unmistakable tailored looks and off-kilter runway shows. Browne is openly gay and lives in New York City with his partner Andrew Bolton, the curator at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan – you might even have noticed that Bolton wears a sleek Thom Browne suit in almost every single scene in the Met Gala documentary, The First Monday in May.