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7 Pride Collections From Our Favorite Footwear Brands We Loved and How They Supported the LGBTQIA+ Community

Image: Big Freedia for Converse

Even though we’re closing out another Pride Month, we’re still celebrating and always standing with our LGBTQIA+ community. The support doesn’t stop when the month ends. We’re continuously showing up and being an ally in every way possible. This month, our favorite footwear brands did just that with their Pride collections, campaigns, and initiatives. We’ve put together a list of our favorite collections that we’re still shopping through, and acknowledging how these brands gave back to the LGBTQIA+ community this month. Check the links below to shop through the collections and add to cart now. Happy Pride!

CONVERSE

Converse dedicated their Pride collection, “Proud to Be”, to those who “are proud to be living in the power and joy of being themselves” featuring Icon and Grammy Award-Winning Artist, Big Freedia, and their Converse All Stars. The line was also designed by LGBTQIA+ Converse employees and allies. You can also celebrate Pride by customizing your own Chucks that define your style. The collection includes 16 pairs of Chucks and 3 t-shirts, ranging in price from $35-$150.

Converse is proud to have pledged and donated nearly $2.5M to local, national, and international organizations since they first launched their annual Pride campaign and collection in 2015. 

VANS

Vans released their Pride collection, “Together as Ourselves”, to celebrate the nuances of identity and diversity in the Queer community stating, “you never know who your authenticity could inspire.” Vans will also continue their campaign after Pride Month with a collaboration collection with Queer creatives, Tyris Winter and Kae Tempest respectively, that will be released October 2023. The 2023 Vans Pride Collection includes 14 pairs of unisex sneakers for Kids and Adults, along with apparel and accessories. Prices range from $10-$90 USD and are still available to purchase. 

For Pride and ongoing LGBTQIA+ support, Vans continues to support the Tegan & Sara Foundation to fund programs like their annual LGBTQIA+ summer camp and community grants that often go unrecognized by major funding institutions.

Dr. Martens

Dr. Martens took us down history lane with the Pride collection this year to show how the brand has deep roots within the LGBTQIA+ community and their ongoing fight for Queer equality. The brand partnered with three LGBTQIA+ artists, Wednesday Holmes, Loveis Wise, and Fuyuki Kanai, to create 3 boots “that explore the power that creativity has to create, strengthen and empower queer communities.”  The collection also includes three more styles to choose from, two of them toddlers and juniors, and range from $120-$220.

Dr. Martens are continuing their year-round partnership with The Trevor Project with a $200,000 commitment.

NIKE

Nike released a two-pack for their Pride Collection, “Be True”, featuring the Terminator High and the Air Max 97. The 2023 collection is a nod to the “infinite possibilities for the LGBTQIA+ communities across the globe.” The Air Max 97 gets an elevated new look with shimmering, delicate lace, removable charms, and a customizable blank tongue for you to decide what it means to be true to you. The Terminator High pays homage to the era of patched jeans and concerts in the park. The Nike branding on the heel showcases a full spectrum of the Pride flag. The Be True collection also includes apparel and accessories with hoodies, t-shirts, and sandals. The collection ranges from $30-$180. 

In association with CAFAmerica, Nike committed more than $3M through 26 organizations advancing the LGBTQIA+ community.

REEBOK

Reebok’s Pride Collection is about standing up and standing out, and to inspire everyone who sees and wears the collection to give you life in color. The Reebok Club C is adorned with striking rainbow accents that highlight the color of your individuality. The collection also includes apparel in chromatic fabrics and unisex styles in t-shirts, windbreakers, and bottoms. The collection ranges from $35-$150.

Reebok pledged to donate $15K to Whittier Street Health Center’s LGBTQ Youth Wellness program. The program aims to increase access to medical, nutrition, fitness and mental health services for the underserved Black and Brown LGBTQ youth within the Greater Boston community.

Adidas

Adidas released their Pride Collection along with South African, Queer designer, Rich Mnisi, called “Let Your Love Be Your Legacy.” Olympic Gold Medalist, Tom Daley, American Trans-Femme Activist, Jari Jones, and the Athlete Ally organization joined in on the campaign through ‘Love Letters’ to the world.  The collection is a range of apparel and footwear spanning both lifestyle and performance, and featuring signature silhouettes across Adidas Originals, football, cycling, Sportswear and swim. The collection is inspired by a love letter Mnisi wrote to his younger self, as well as a rallying cry for allyship to empower and champion the LGBTQIA+ community. 

The adidas x RICH MNISI Pride collection is a part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to help make sport equal. This year, Adidas continues its ongoing partnership with non-profit Athlete Ally, “which focuses on ending homophobia and transphobia in sport.”

UNDER ARMOUR

Under Armour tapped Chloe Logarzo (one of Australia’s top professional female soccer players and a leading LGBTQIA+ voice for Football Australia) and UNIFIED to celebrate Pride and create a better representation in sport. Their “United We Win” Pride collection was designed to “celebrate all athletes, no matter who you are, who you love or what your pronouns are.” It features men’s, women’s and unisex apparel, footwear, and accessories with the Under Armour Rainbow Road pattern and their ‘United We Win’ mantra. The collection is priced from $12-$140.

Under Armour partner’s  with local and global organizations dedicated to uplifting and upholding the LGBTQ+ community as their year-round  initiative to continually support diversity and inclusion.