15 brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2021
After a year when Pride celebrations had to go virtual, members of the LGBTQ community and their allies are eager to shine bright in 2021. And as in years past, numerous brands have launched special Self-acceptance products and capsule collections that celebrate love, diversity and inclusion. However, advocates say that authentic sustain means more than just a rainbow stripe on a T-shirt.
“Brands need to approach Pride not as a marketing moment to sell products and earnings from LGBTQ people, but [as] a time to loudly use their extend and influence to affirm our community and help advocacy organizations in legitimate and impactful ways,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of the media watchdog group GLAAD.
Companies that truly walk the walk donate to and uplift LGBTQ organizations, added Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy team. "These businesses provide an invaluable platform to further the fight for LGBTQ equity and inclusivity,” he said.
Some organizations are contributing a portion of proceeds from Pride products to groups like GLAAD and HRC, while others are making direct donation
From SHEIN to Boohoo, Fast Fashion Profiting off Pride Is Peak Pinkwashing
Fashion brands with alarming human rights and environmental track records are once again pumping out rainbows for Pride month. Here’s why that’s a cynical distraction from the harm caused throughout their supply chains.
Brands want you to think they’re into Pride
It’s that time of year again when so many brands desire to be your gay best confidant. In fashion media, that means gay journalists’ inboxes receive filled with urge releases for seasonal Pride collections. One glance over my inbox and you’ll see phrases appreciate “celebrating the Gay community,” “living out and proud,” and “expressing your real self” among the press announcements for everything from tank tops to tube socks—all available with rainbows for a limited time only.
So ubiquitous are fashion brands’ multicolour collections that they’re now an annual staple on the marketing calendar. In a few cases, these initiatives are made in close collaboration with LGBTQ+ creatives and donate all the profits to LGBTQ+ causes—but those kinds of collections are in the minority. More often, it seems brands pop up every spring with their announcement
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Fashion Retailers Contributing to Rainbow Capitalism
Every year in Celebration month, we see retailers coming out with Self-acceptance collections. Unfortunately, while some of these collections advantage the queer community and donate money to Queer causes, many corporations instead benefit from rainbow capitalism efforts. Essentially, they obtain over the spaces intended for queer people. To make matters worse, fashion brands with alarming human rights violations and underprivileged environmental track records are creating Pride merch that only benefits their company’s profits and harms the LGBTQ+ community.
This article will explore some of the worst fashion brands participating in rainbow capitalism.
What Is Rainbow Capitalism?
Rainbow capitalism, also known as pink capitalism, is when companies claim to support LGBTQ+ causes and communities but are actually making merchandise for-profit and trying to capitalize on the trend. In other words, it is more about corporate interests and profit than genuinely supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
As a result, instead of queer issues being at the center of Identity festival events, it becomes about capitalism. Overall, rainbow capitalism makes Pride less about protes
Trans Clothing Closet Resource
Created in 2019, the Trans Clothing Closet is a resource where transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students can find free clothing and accessories. This closet exists because transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people can have a hard period finding places where they can shop comfortably due to discrimination, can discover it financially difficult to replace large amounts of clothes to help them express their gender, and can find it financially difficult to purchase clothing due to job discrimination. No one has to prove they are “trans enough” to use the closet.
Part of our mission is to provide recent or like-new clothes that are in excellent condition and will last. We will not accept clothing donations that are too worn, stained, or frayed. The space we are creating is one of care and curated with love.
How It Works
Students are welcome to visit the space without an appointment. All items including flyers, buttons, and clothing are FREE. We only request that you fill out a small survey so we can provide everyone with the best exposure possible.