Why Fashion Went Silent on Pride This Year

As Pride Month wound down last summer, Nike made a bold show of support: “No Pride, No Sport,” the company declared on Instagram. “Beyond the month of June, we want to create a culture of belonging where athletes of all identities can move with pride every day of the year,” the caption read.

This year, Nike is taking a different approach. For the first time since 1999, the sportswear giant is not releasing a Pride-themed collection or targeted ad campaign. It also hasn’t recently posted anything LGBTQ themed to its Instagram grid. Nike will instead focus on corporate giving and “offer exclusive programming for employees,” the brand said in a statement.

Nike isn’t the only brand that’s gone dark on Pride. Retailers are stocking 7 percent fewer Pride-themed t-shirts compared to last year, and tagged 36 percent fewer beauty products in campaigns tied to the month-long celebration, according to Trendalytics.

That doesn’t reflect the full extent of the pullback; Target, for instance, is still selling themed items, but in fewer stores. It has moved some of its rainbow-coloured Pride displays from the entrance to the back of the shop floor.

“Even for brands who are doing Pride this year, the merchandise is hard to find … it’s either at the back of the store or you have to dig around their website,” said Rob Smith, founder and CEO of The Phluid Project, a gender-inclusive clothing brand that also advises companies on LGBTQ issues.

It’s not just the merch that’s missing: The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ youth suicide prevention that is major recipient of corporate giving during Pride, said it has seen a decline in such donations this year.

When brands have addressed their approach this year, they’ve typically talked of shifting marketing priorities, or point to pro-LGBTQ projects and charities they support year round. But marketing experts and advocates say the sudden dropoff in Pride advertising and collections is a direct result of the surprise backlash to last year’s campaigns by anti-LGBTQ consumers and activists. None was more ferocious than the boycott of Bud Light after it partnered with the trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in June. The beer lost its No. 1 spot in the US market, and sales still haven’t fully recovered.

In the aftermath, some brands see the risks of Pride activations outweighing the rewards – a “hangover effect” from last year’s boycotts, Mulvaney told attendees at The Business of Beauty Global Forum earlier this month.

Others see confirmation that the fashion industry’s support for the LGBTQ community was never deeply held to begin with. The recent lack of public displays “proves they were just performative all along,” Smith said.

What Happened to All the Rainbows

Since the 1990s, public displays of support around Pride Month were mostly all upside for brands. The campaigns were a way to appeal to LGBTQ customers, and to signal that a company was in step with a consumer population that was increasingly looking to shop its values.

Over the last few years, conservative groups have pushed back. Their efforts have focused on the issue of trans rights, where US opinion is more divided, and on corporate support for progressive values generally. Last year’s boycott of Bud Light and viral TikTok videos lambasting Target and other retailers, came as state lawmakers introduced bills targeting LGBTQ rights and reining in corporate DEI initiatives.

“When [anti-LGBTQ bills] get introduced … the rhetoric can have an impact on everyday conversation and perception of LGBTQ+ identities,” said Kevin Wong, senior vice president of marketing, communications and content at The Trevor Project.

Nike’s muted take on Pride this year seemingly marks a shift for a brand with a reputation for standing its ground on values-oriented marketing, most famously with its campaign featuring the former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice. As recently as April 2023, the brand said it would delete negative comments related to Mulvaney promoting Nike leggings and a sports bra, cautioning customers to “be kind, be inclusive … encourage each other.”

Standing Ground

Plenty of brands are continuing to vocally support the LGBTQ community.

Shoemaker Ugg partnered with comedian and poet Alok Vaid-Menon on a capsule of brightly coloured platform boots and fuzzy dresses. L’Oréal-owned Aesop is bringing back its queer library initiative in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union. The brand will visit New York, Los Angeles and Toronto promoting and giving out free editions of books penned by LGBTQ authors.

Some brands are even ramping up their Pride activations.

In the past, size-inclusive swimwear label Kitty and Vibe had hosted meet-ups at Pride parades to hand out pins and Pride memorabilia. This year, in response to growing anti-LGBTQ sentiment, the brand decided to show up in a bigger way.

Kitty and Vibe named LGBTQ musician Hayley Kiyoko as its brand ambassador earlier this month, enlisting the singer to co-design a capsule swimsuit collection. Ten percent of sales will go to The Trevor Project.

“The brand’s message is about being kind to yourself, your body and others,” said Cameron Armstrong, Kitty and Vibe’s founder and CEO.

For Armstrong, “doing good by actively supporting the LGBTQ community,” outweighed a potential backlash.

AppleDoll Cosmetics, a Gen-Z makeup brand, for instance, instead “chooses to celebrate queer people all year round,” said Lauren Drescher, vice president of social media and retention marketing at the brand. The label has instead decided to spotlight its team, which include members of the LGBTQ community, throughout the year.

“It’s always Pride month for us,” said Drescher. “We don’t have to have rainbow installations because the brand was founded with gender and sexuality inclusivity in mind. It’s a part of who we are.”

It’s a strategy that will likely become more commonplace for brands looking to connect with LGBTQ consumers. Smith says the brands that will be successful in courting them are doing marketing initiatives throughout the year, even for events with less media attention such as Trans Day of Visibility, which falls in March.

“Pride this year is one of reflection and reinvention,” said Smith. “Brands need to recalibrate and figure out how to show up more authentically for the queer community.”