Puma’s Clyde Pride Pack also includes a tank top, tees, socks, hat, and a $40 fanny pack. The sneakers are definitely some of the season’s most aesthetically pleasing Pride-themed kicks, but appear to be a stand-alone effort for the brand - there’s no mention of an awareness campaign or non-profit partner.
Puma’s $95 Clyde Pride Sneakers are “designed to represent all that you stand for,” which is smart because it’s good to wear shoes while standing. This is a fact of Capitalism.īut also, not everybody can get a job that pays their bills at a company that has 100% integrity, and it’s clear that some of these places have good queer people, or maybe even just good queer allies, working within them, doing their best to Robin Hood it and spread the wealth and amplify diverse voices. Even the gay non-profits many queers disparage are employing really excellent people too - many of whom read this website and participate in this community and contribute financially to its existence. Undoubtedly most corporations are, in some way, evil, and have literally zero integrity. Please note the rankings are mildly influenced by a company’s positive history with the LGBTQ community but are not influenced by the company’s history or reputation in other areas, or by the politics, religious affiliations or lobbying activities of its leadership team. I’ve loosely grouped the collaborations into possibly arbitrary groups based on vague criteria, none of which I feel very strongly about. So, that’s my disclaimer: a great way to support LGBTQ community health is to put money into independent queer media, and I wish these companies did that.
They just want free coverage of their partnerships. More brands than ever are using models of color and trans models to promote their tie-ins, and spotlighting local community activists rather than leaning on reliable celebrities.Ī quick sidenote: every June we’re bombarded with press releases about Pride branding tie-ins - but never do these companies actually want to buy advertising from us. Pride branding has come a long way as a new generation of queers rise the ranks of various corporations, help start new companies, and infuse them with aesthetics that go beyond a basic rainbow splash on an otherwise unremarkable t-shirt. ‘Tis the season for brands to solicit the LGBT community’s affection and hard-earned money while also funneling funds to LGBT non-profits and obtaining oodles of free advertising with hashtag social media campaigns as well as posts like the one you’re reading right now!