June 2, 2021 |
The parades may be either cancelled or postponed, but it’s not time to hang up your Pride celebration shoes just yet. We are sure under the Covid-19 restrictions that our fabulous hospitality sector will give us a chance to glitter up and celebrate the wonderful members of the LGTBQIA+ community. And well, of course, we have you covered with the best pride-specific collections to protest, parade and dance all night in.
Balenciaga
Fancy a Balenciaga jockstrap, anyone? Baseball caps, shirts and hoodies have been completed with varsity-style lettering that spells out Gay Pride Balenciaga 2021; the GAY being simply unmissable. Since we had a sneak peak of the garments in the brand’s recent winter collection, we knew it was going to be a Pride month necessity. But that’s not all, some styles have the rainbow flag camouflaged on the waistbands of undergarments, socks, party bracelets and fake fur shoulder strap coin purses. 15 per cent of all sales will be donated to The Trevor Project and its mission to end LGBTQIA+ youth suicide.
Savage x Fenty
Pride month wouldn’t be complete without garments covered head-to-toe in rainbows, would it? But now it’s time to really take it to the extreme, we are talking undergarments as well as outer. Enter Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty, which has everything from bralettes, bras, string bikinis, garters and stockings all jazzed up with rainbows. Oh, and let’s not forget a rainbow-hued whip, because chains and whips excite me, na, na, come on.
Versace
Can you believe it’s been 10 years already? Donatella Versace is joining Lady Gaga in celebrating a decade since the release of Born This Way by launching a unisex tee and beret, with a portion of proceeds going to Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. Donatella actually designed the outfit’s Gaga wore on her Born This Way Ball tour, including a leather jacket the star wore religiously through the album’s promo cycle – which will be auctioned from June 1 by Omaze, the American fundraising company that partners with charities. Put your paws up and get your wallets out!
Calvin Klein
This one isn’t only a pride-inspired collection to dress yourself up in (or to feel #proudinmycalvins). It’s also a beautiful celebration of defining moments in the queer and trans journey – props to Calvin Klein. The campaign features talent from different parts of the world such as Honey Dijon, King Princess and 10 cover star Kai-Isaiah Jamal, dressed down in boxer briefs and bralettes with a limited-edition logo waistband. Pull your Calvin’s up because that’s not all – the brand has also produced a series of short films rolling out throughout the year, documenting the cast’s stories and experiences, so get comfy in your undies and watch away.
Levi’s
Here comes Levi’s; a brand that has championed equality, inclusiveness and progress since the very beginning. This year for Pride 2021, their collection explores and celebrates the importance of learning and respecting proper pronoun use – “All Pronouns. All Love”. The unisex range includes everything from dungarees, jeans and jackets to graphic tees and tanks, all completed with either rainbow detailing or the words “they/them, she/her, he/him, we”. In even more impressive news, 100% of net proceeds will go to OutRight Action. Everyone should take a leaf out of Levi’s book.
Converse
For Converse, this year’s Pride campaign is all about finding joy and freedom in being yourself – something we can’t recommend more. The special edition footwear was created by not only Converse designers, but five young creatives from concept to production – Caleb, Rocio, Tereza, Ty and Xandro. Informed by their individual stories, the project became a graphically-driven capsule of Chuck Taylors in high, low top and platform versions, as well as a new set of sliders.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Ludovic de Saint Sernin is feeling sexy this Pride. Teaming up with London based artist Jack Taylor Lovatt – the brains behind Ludovic’s “Don’t Ruin My Fantasy” SS21 tee – the two tees feature two kissing boys and a NSFW love heart. Both are available on de Saint Sernin’s e-store and a portion of the sales of these t-shirts will be donated to a charity handpicked by Jack himself.
Top image: Savage x Fenty pride collection.
