Calvin Klein: Being Proud
Calvin Klein has a remarkable reputation when it comes to allyship. Year after year, they showcase influencers and celebrities who are pro-queer, pro-black and pro-community. This year is no different, with the brand collaborating with queer figures such as Isaac Powell, King Princess, Arca, Honey Dijon, Kai Isaiah Jamal, Raisa Flowers and Samuel Saboia. On their website, Calvin Klein has created a series of short clips with these artists, featuring them speaking with confidence on aspects of their sexuality. Omar Ayuso recalls coming out to his mother, Honey Dijon stresses the importance of feeling sexy in your own space, Kai Isaiah Jamal discusses gender and pronouns, and Arca talks about feeling liberated as a non-binary, trans person. These clips also reveal the new Calvin Klein collection, which incorporates a series of neutral garments (underwear, socks, accessories), refashioned for queer liberation.
Omar Ayuso in the Calvin Klein 2021 Campaign
A post on the brand’s website introduces “the latest collection of Pride clothing from the Calvin Klein Pride capsule. Featuring classic styles re-imagined for Pride, this collection contains everything you need to form the ultimate Pride outfit. Explore our picks of Pride T-shirts, available in a variety of bold colours and detailed with fine embroidery. Embody the aesthetic of Pride with our Calvin Klein Jeans denim jacket, complete with an iconic rainbow-coloured finish. Alternatively, our Pride hoodies come in modern patchwork styles that radiate colour from all angles. For everyday essentials, choose from our range of Pride underwear, available in dynamic pink and yellow hues. For styles that combine vibrant colouring with modern silhouettes, look no further than the Calvin Klein collection of Pride clothing.”
Arca in the Calvin Klein 2021 Campaign
Calvin Klein also works with a series of organisations around the globe that support LGBTQ+ advocacy, equity, and safety, including The Trevor Project, Trans Legal Defence & Education Fund, OnePULSE Foundation, and more. Here are some small descriptions on these organisations:
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award-winning short film TREVOR. It is the leading national organisation providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people under 25.
Transgender Legal Defence & Education Fund
TLDEF is an organisation committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts. They actively work in Impact Litigation and legislation against soft-homophobic discrimination, such as the Trump-era healthcare discrimination rule.
onePULSE Foundation
onePULSE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organisation incorporated by the owner of the Pulse nightclub. It was established to create a sanctuary of hope following the Orlando nightclub shooting on June 12th, 2016, in which 49 people were killed, and 68 more injured. The fund is intended to honour the victims and healthcare professionals that treated them, and support a memorial to open people’s hearts, minds, and doors through education programs, which include the National Pulse Memorial & Museum, and 49 Legacy Scholarships.
Pride is an important time of year, bringing people together from all walks of life to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the journey it has taken to get to where we are today. Even though there is still a long way to go, it is fundamental that we recognise those who have paved the way for our liberation – figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were proud transgender pioneers and contributed a great deal to developing the movement. As time goes on and businesses continue to recognise the potential in supporting the LGBTQ+ movement, more companies will begin to carry out performative activism when it comes to queer liberation. It is essential that their actions do not function at a surface-level alone, and that we call out any that do.
Happy Pride 2021 from the MATERIAL team.