Levi’s celebrates World Pride with Prideful new 2017 collection and LGBT events

Fashion brand Levi’s is celebrating World Pride in Madrid by launching a new collection of items for 2017 and hosting a number of events.

The brand celebrated today with an exhibition by photojournalist and gay rights activist Daniel Nicoletta, who curated a collection of 50 photographs documenting 40 years of activism in San Francisco.

Nicoletta is known for starting his career at The Advocate magazine, and was friends with late San Francisco gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk.

He went on to become one of the founders of the San Francisco LGBT International Film Festival and photographed countless influential figures including Milk.

A bust of Milk in the San Francisco City Hall was based on Nicoletta’s portrait of the politician.

The photojournalist was also co-chair of the Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee.

Speaking to PinkNews, Nicoletta said: “I think that what we’ve accomplished in the last 50 years, if we doubled down in the next 50 years, we’ll be doing well.

“In terms of the disparities that are in place right now, in particuar with the international scene – the kind of transgressive response to same-sex love that’s happening in many countries – I’d like to see that handled in the next 50 years.

“We never dreamed that we would see [same-sex marriage] in our lifetime, but then the film festival started with Super 8 films showing to each other on a bedsheet and now it’s the biggest film festival in California. People take their vactions to attend it and see films from over 20 countries. We didn’t think it would ever become that big.”

He added: “Societally it is an idea whose idea has come, what we’re seeing is rapid growth even though there’s a lot to be done.”

Asked whether he thinks things might go backwards in the US under the Trump Administration, he said: “Absolutely. There’s always been takeaways and there always will be takeaways because as there is an increase in visibility there is an increase in reactive behaviours, and especially violence, so it’s kind of built in. It’s unfortunate but it is what we’re dealing with.”

Also this year, Levi’s launched the fourth installment of its limited edition Pride collection for 2017.

The theme for this year’s collection is ‘Fight Stigma’, and Levi’s donating proceeds from the collection to the Harvey Milk Foundation and Stonewall Community Foundation.

The collection is inspired by the 1988 AIDS Memorial Quilt.

It is available in the Europe and the Americas.

Levi’s is also hosting a number of lectures in Berlin, Madrid and Amsterdam in collaboration with Designers against AIDS, and will appear at the Pride in London march later this month.

The brand is hosting a London screening of Oscar-winning 2008 Harvey Milk biopic Milk.

Disclosure: Some of the PinkNews team were hosted at World Pride by Levi’s

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