MANILA, PHILIPPINES — For Pride 2023, Levi’s is celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community’s strength, history, and creativity over the decades. Drawing from a thoughtful mix of inspirational and educational storytelling told by the Pride 2023 cast, LGBTQIA+ community members and allies are encouraged to fully express themselves and to help others do the same with a campaign that asks, “How do you show up?”
On the product front, the Levi’s Pride 2023 collection recognizes and highlights self-expression as a spectrum, non-binary and fluid. The lavender-hued color palette salutes LGBTQIA+ activist groups of the ’70s and ’90s whose energy brought an explosive fearlessness to the gay rights movement and mirrors the cultural push forward by queer and trans youth today. From the 501 ‘93 Straight Jeans and the Pride Muscle Tank to the Liberation Trucker Vest and Pride Bucket Hat in Deep Purple, no matter where you show up on the spectrum of self-expression, this collection is for you.
A global cast of LGBTQIA+ community members was documented, each with a distinct voice, style, and point of view on what it means for self-expression to serve a greater purpose. Prior to this collection Levi’s and 501 jeans have been worn for decades as symbols of protest, solidarity, and self-expression. During the advent of biker culture and the arrival of fresh faces in Hollywood in the ‘50s, 501 jeans embodied the embrace of hypermasculinity. With a first fit and versatility that blurred traditional lines between genders, 501 jeans themselves became a symbol of rebellion.
“The Levi’s Pride 2023 campaign is a global celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and its powerful history of genuine self-expression,” said Lance Relicke, Vice President of Global Brand Experience at Levi Strauss & Co. “From clubs to protests to Pride parades, wherever people gather in the name of love and inclusivity, so many of them will proudly show up in their Levi’s and 501 jeans. There’s so much genuine love for the Levi’s brand in the LGBTQIA+ community and we’re thrilled to reciprocate that love – all of the time, but especially during Pride 2023.”
As an extension of its support for the LGBTQIA+ community, the Levi’s brand is also making an annual $ 100,000 USD donation to Outright International, a global organization working to advance human rights for LGBTQIA+ people all over the world. For the Philippines, Levi’s has partnered with Pantay, a youth-led lobbying community advocating for gender-transformative legislation in the Philippine Congress. They will be joining the upcoming Pride PH Festival 2023 “LoveLaban” happening on June 24 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
Levi’s will be bringing its first-ever Pride Bus which aims to create a safe space for authentic and creative self-expression through various activities such as DIY placard painting, shirt printing, and tailor shop customization services. The country’s top drag queens, Eva Le Queen and Marina Summers will also be at the Levi’s Pride Bus for a meet and greet photo op with their supporters and fans during the event.
The Levi’s Pride 2023 collection is available for purchase on its website and in selected Levi’s Stores nationwide.