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SHARING IS CARING: LGBTQIA+ Brands, Creators, and Voices We’re Gaga For
June's almost out but Pride's always in! With Pride on our minds and love in our hearts, we want to give some shine to some of our favorite LGBTQIA+ creators!
PRIDE SUMMER
This summer, there are TONS of reasons to feel all warm and fuzzy inside (and we're not just talking indoor rugs)!
Restrictions are lifting, travel bans are loosening, and it's hard not to smile at the thought of our (lovingly curated) mask collections collecting dust. So with familiar old and exciting new haunts on our radar, a zest for community is in the air!
And since sharing is caring, we wanted to celebrate our favorite creators, brands and voices in the LGBTQIA+ community. Whether you want an intro to new creative voices to explore or crave some new inspo in the form of familiar faces in the LGBTQIA+ community, we've got you covered!
These individuals speak to us not only for their ties to the LGBTQIA+ community but because they embody our shared values of inclusivity and kindness.
Plus it doesn't hurt that they're all doing SUPER COOL THINGS worth raving about! So without further ado...
Home Decor
Left to right: Toledo Accent Table | Winnetka Home (Brittany Ambridge; Domino, Summer ‘14) | Dina No Bud Vase | Linen Throw Pillows | Grid Pot Holder Peach
When it comes to crossing sewing and activism, LA-based Suay Sew Shop have got things, well, pretty darn sewn up! SSS is a community-driven recycling and repairing brand. Activism takes center stage and SSS advocates for recycling and reusing products and eliminating waste. Check out their website for places to donate and ways to help with food and the environment. Talk about a brand that gives a stitch!
NY-based MINNA is your stop for ethically made home goods rooted in traditional craft techniques! Spend less than a min on MINNA's site and discover they're a goldmine of spunky designs informed and inspired by the intersection of feminist art and traditional craft. If home is where the heart is, MINNA is where the home goods with heart is.
Let's take a walk on the Otherwild side! Otherwild is an LA-based design studio, event space and shop. Whether you're looking for this, that, OR the other, Otherwild's got everything from affordable apparel and art to home cleaning and personal care products. No wonder we're wild like no other for Otherwild!
Me and You and Erdos + Ko. Erdos + Ko is a Texas-based furniture store focused on "refining spaces, relationships, and daily lives." At Erdos + Ko, quality home furnishings and the quality of neighborliness live side by side. So much so that the E+K co-founders started a charity organization called "Taste of Hope" that helps feed + clothe the homeless! This Texas-based furniture store has lassoed our hearts!
The NATE-ure of the best! Nate Berkus Associates is an interior design agency HQ'd in Chicago, IL. They've been featured in numerous magazines and are led by TLC reality star and LGBTQ parent, Nate Berkus. Nate advocates for on-screen LGBTQIA representation, with a focus on television. That's the kind of TLC we're talking about.
(AB FAB) APPAREL & ACCESSORIES
Left to Right: Budding, Blooming | Caritas Crop Sweatshirt | Rainbow Blooms Racerback | Brunch Date | Tote
O-M-J-Z-D! Jen Zeano Designs is a Texas-based lifestyle brand. Founded as a way to celebrate Latina community and culture, this shop exists to empower you and remind you that your ancestors are always cheering you on! So keep on doing you!
Both& is an apparel company set out to reconstruct gender norms in the fashion industry by creating inclusive clothing designed for non-binary bodies and sizes. Not only that, but their production is driven by BOTH sustainability & ethics. Talk about a match made on a runway to heaven.
Hype Two Minds Press? Don’t MIND if we do! Led by Felicia Blow, this Philly-based brand sells handmade apparel, accessories and prints created by silkscreen press! Impressed? SILK yeah, we are! All 2MP products embody themes of emotionality, wordplay, social justice and radical joy. Something else to keep in mind? No two pieces are alike.
Tired of being up to your neck in bland neckwear? Looking for a fun AND funky eye-popping head-turner? Meet BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, and Them's latest obsession: Bowtie Behavior! With next-level neckwear prints ranging from daredevil botanicals to jazzy macarons, each creation conceived by queer founder Robyn Williams is meant to bring fireworks to any ensemble. And if you really wanna kick your getup up a notch, snag BB’s matching pocket squares! Bowtie Behavior just might be your bowtie savior.
We just LOVE those businesses that can’t help but to be there for their community. Which is one of the many reasons we love gc2b! gc2b is an LGBTQIA- and Trans-owned apparel and stylish binder business. Their current Pride campaign is a prime example of the many ways they advocate for their community. gc2b works to connect trans people to the community support and resources they need, when they need it. PLUS they’re donating $2.47 for every binder they sell within their Limited Edition Pride Binder Collection to Trans Lifeline during June!
You got to love an underwear brand that thinks outside the boxers. TomboyX's products are meant to feel comfortable REGARDLESS of where on the gender spectrum one is. Catching the eyes of Forbes and the like, size-, racial-, and gender-inclusivity are top priorities of their brand's platforms. Check out TomboyX’s Pride collection, where every body can feel good about feeling good.
PERSONAL CARE & BEAUTY
Left to right: The Noto Store | Be Bold Polish Trio | Flower Pots Powder Blush & Blush Precision Brush | Shades of Pride Polish Set | Ono Ono Multi-Benne Pot | Mineral Prismatic Illuminating Shield
We are over the moon for We Are Fluide! Queer- and ally-owned, We Are Fluide prides itself in its vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free cosmetics. Finally wear a makeup brand that dares to care! Designed for all skin shades and gender expressions, Makeup is transformative and joyful and nobody should be left out.
Noto is a gender-fluid, multi-use natural cosmetic line that’s both vegan + cruelty free. Its run by makeup artist and queer woman, Gloria Noto. Every sale of the brand’s Agender Oil goes to non-profits like Planned Parenthood, LGBT Youth Center LA, ACLU, the Audre Lorde Project, Black Mama’s Matter, and more! So far they’ve raised $17,000+ in donations! Why not make Noto Botanics your go-to cosmetics?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve Never Been Kissed, or if you’re on the Santa Clarita Diet, or even if you’re a young Firestarter planning on Riding in Cars with Boys to one of your 50 First Dates, Flower Beauty is a brand we’re happy to Scream about (at a Fever Pitch) because it’s bound to keep Going the Distance! Too far? What can we say, we love Drew Barrymore, the founder of FLOWER Beauty and a well known bisexual celeb! It’s affordable, cruelty-free and it’s scooped up tons of awards from Allure over the years. Flower Beauty advocates for inclusivity and diversity. Talk about happy Ever After.
Volition: Possible! The super inspiring trailblazers Volition Beauty are one of the first and most successful fully crowdsourced beauty brands. Entrepreneurs, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, submit product ideas and the most popular product on the platform goes into production, to be sold wherever Volition is stocked.
MUSIC (MAKES THE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER)
Click above for the full playlist.
ART
Left to right: Other Boys | 2020 Pow! Wow! Mural | The Future Needs You In It Enamel Pin | Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad (Fan Art) | Pronouns (She. Her. Hers.) Cross Stitch Kit | Artwork by Laura Sayers
The Illo Agency Ltd. is an art agency that prides itself in representing a global range of diverse and creative artists. They advocate for representation of all in the art category and they take responsibility for providing it through their platform.
As far as darling art supplies stores go, junebug & darlin kind of takes the cake. Don’t be fooled by its demure name. junebug & darlin is a subversive, Oregon-based cross stitch kits and supplies store run by queer femme Zoe Frost whose love of nature and activism imbues her work. Zoe’s products are handmade and “can guarantee a political agenda”.
Anyone else all in for Abprallen? Abprallen is an art and accessory business owned by and for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Their highlighted social stories go through the LGBTQIA history month by month, which is a major perk because not only can you finesse your art game, you can stay educated along the way. Their products are very colorful and fun!
Cheyne Gallarde is an artist with a distinct skill set that he honed over the past decade as an award-winning photographer and artist. Born and raised in Hawaii, he heavily features drag queens reimagined as superheroes and villains to put a unique twist on classic comic books.
It’s hard to not become animated when talking about Damian Alexander! Artist and author of the graphic novel/memoir “Other Boys” (soon to be released). The book explores his own life and dives into topics of coming out, bullying, school and dealing with death. His work has been featured in the Huffington Post as well as for the Trevor Project. Despite heavy subject matter, Damian Alexander’s illustrations provide humor and deliver the message that everyone deserves love and human rights.
VOICES
Left to right: Christina Bailey | Matt Armato and Beau Ciolino with their DIY Rainbow Desk Backdrop | Shavonda Gardner | ALOK by Brian Vu for The Guardian '19
Blog and internet presence Probably This was created by the design and DIY power couple Matt Armato and Beau Ciolino. Dedicated to advocacy, healthy recipes, travel tips, and all things interior design, this Oregon-based duo is one to follow!
Christina’s platform is bursting with color and photos of her travels ranging from Hawaii to Philly. Not only is she an advocate for those who, like herself, consider themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community, but she makes education a priority, too- especially on what the reciprocal IVF process looks like for want-to-be parents.
ALOK is a fashion icon equipped with a Masters degree in Sociology, who uses their voice to speak on how they are de-gendering fashion and their experience of being non-binary. They are a speaker, performer and author of books Femme in Public (2017) and Beyond the Gender Binary (2020). They have performed and been honored at hundreds of events around the world.
Shavonda is an inspirational interior and lifestyle blogger who interprets space in her own way. Her work has been seen in a variety of media outlets including Domino, HGTV, Parents, Real Simple, BHG and more. She has been an advocate and voice where LGBTQ+ people of color are lacking. She wants to make sure that people like her feel included and know their voices are important.
ORGANIZATIONS
A non-profit organization that works tirelessly to prevent suicide amongst those in the LGBTQIA+ community, youth and elders. Their line is always open, confidential and with a professional on the other end. 1-866-488-7386
GLAAD is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to monitor the media and protest against their defamatory portrayals of LGBTQIA+ community members. They want to help shape the human narrative and make cultural change in the entertainment industry.
The largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the USA, Human Rights Campaign tackles helping the community through a multitude of ways, including: mobilizing equality voters nationwide, educating the public on LGBTQ+ issues, lobbying for policies that protect the community and more to help those who are marginalized be treated as full and equal citizens.
PRIDE, MONTH-TO-MONTH
We hope you had as much fun exploring some of our favorite brands and individuals as we at Well Woven had weaving this list together! Just because June’s almost over doesn’t mean Pride has to end! You can keep the Pride spirit alive by continuing to champion community and togetherness by educating yourself, donating, and supporting platforms like these year-round.