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It’s LGBTQ+ history month in the US, Canada, and Australia, so we’re sharing some small brands owned by those in the community that are rated “Good” or “Great” against our methodology. Meet The Glade, Lonely Kids Club, Disruptor London, and many more.
Shopping from queer and trans-owned brands supports the community directly
In the last decade or so, mainstream fashion has treated the promotion of LGBTQ+-owned brands as a seasonal activity that involves switching out logos for rainbow-coloured ones to drive consumption. Meanwhile, they’ve largely failed to ensure the LGBTQ+ community, both broadly and within their own supply chains, receives ongoing, meaningful support. It’s something Good On You’s brand director, JD Shadel, highlighted in their report on the industry’s pinkwashing (and subsequent pinkhushing), noting that many of the fast fashion brands displaying rainbow logos during Pride month typically manufacture their clothes in countries where queer and trans people face social and legal discrimination; all without advocating for them.
Ultimately, the best way to support Pride is not to buy rainbow merch from big brands, but to make shopping from LGBTQ+-owned brands a part of your regular purchasing practices, helping to uphold the livelihoods and wellbeing of people within the community. To help you with that, we’re sharing some of the top-rated brands in our network that identify as LGBTQ+-owned. This isn’t an exhaustive list of the brands out there you can support, and there are many small labels we haven’t gotten to rating yet that you can still consider shopping from.
8 LGBTQ+-owned brands rated ‘Good’ or ‘Great’
All these brands have been independently assessed by our analysts for their performance on key sustainability issues across people, the planet, and animals. We only look at the public evidence about brands’ actions to encourage transparency and disclosure. Learn more about how we rate brands.
