We’re entering June, International Pride Month, soon. To honour the LGBTQ+ community, two South African designers have partnered with adidas for the Pride collection.
LMHZ Prize 2019 winner Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi feature in the Love Unites campaign, a collection that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community.
In a statement released by the clothing company, they said that the collection draws inspiration from Pride colours.
“With pieces spanning style and performance wear, the expansive collection looks to hero a ‘Do It Yourself' (DIY) visual aesthetic born from the LGBTQ+ communities who had sought to create their own spaces for self-expression.
“This ‘DIY’ aesthetic is what inspires the fluid geometries as well as the expressive and layered graphics seen throughout the collection, which includes special Pride colourways of classic adidas footwear silhouettes as well as a colourful line-up of apparel,” read the statement.
Other members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community who feature in the Love Unites campaign include: the first openly transgender professional basketball player, Layshia Clarendon, professional basketball player and vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement Amanda Zahui B, professional basketball player Chelsea Gray, and professional soccer players Collin Martin and Rachel Daly. Married couple Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, former world champion 10m diver and current World Series champion Tom Daley, American track and field athlete Pabllo Vittar, lifestyle and wellness expert Chinae Alexander, American yoga teacher, writer and body positivity advocate Jessamyn Stanley as well as fitness trainer Cody Rigsby also feature in the campaign.
The 2021 Love Unites collection will officially drop in mid-June.