In the crowded landscape of Pride Month marketing, it’s easy for brands to get lost in a swirl of rainbow-colored merchandise, hashtags, and fleeting campaigns. But every once in a while, a brand gets it right—not just visually, but ideologically. Levi’s Pride 2023 campaign did exactly that. Titled with a simple yet profound question—“How do you show up?”—this year’s campaign from the iconic denim brand is not just another piece of colorful content. It’s a conversation starter, a declaration of values, and a global tribute to LGBTQIA+ self-expression.
At the heart of the campaign lies a timeless truth: clothing has always been a form of communication. What we wear says something about who we are, what we stand for, and where we’ve been. Levi’s understands this intimately. The 501 jeans aren’t just denim—they’re an emblem. Worn at Pride marches, underground raves, political protests, and on stages of drag shows around the world, Levi’s jeans carry stories stitched into their seams. Stories of resistance, resilience, and radical joy.
This year, Levi’s shifted the Pride conversation beyond mere visibility to authenticity and self-expression as fluid and non-binary experiences. The campaign showcases a beautifully diverse cast of LGBTQIA+ individuals from Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, and London—not in styled studio shoots, but in their actual environments. We see them as they are: at home, in their neighborhoods, with their people. It’s a celebration of everyday pride, of showing up exactly as you are, wherever you are.
The Personal is Political—And Always Stylish
There’s a tendency in Pride marketing to over-glamorize or over-simplify queer identities. Levi’s resisted this trap by embracing nuance. The campaign doesn’t offer one neat definition of what it means to be queer—it opens up space for multiple interpretations. Whether someone identifies as non-binary, gender fluid, lesbian, trans, or queer in a way that defies categorization altogether, the message is the same: you belong, and your expression matters.
The visual storytelling is honest and striking. There’s no artificial gloss. The models—who are not models but community members—stand tall in their Levi’s, bringing their identities to the forefront. The fashion is important, of course; Levi’s 2023 Pride Collection includes customized denim pieces with inclusive messages, updated fits, and timeless cuts. But the real power lies not in what the clothes look like—but in how they are worn, and who wears them.
Levi’s isn’t new to this conversation. They’ve shown consistent support for LGBTQIA+ rights, not just during June, but throughout the year. Their Pride campaigns in previous years have featured queer artists, partnered with advocacy organizations, and raised donations for community causes. But in 2023, the tone is even more intentional. It’s less about showing support and more about standing beside, and behind, a movement.
“How Do You Show Up?” Is a Challenge, Not a Slogan
There’s something powerful in asking a question rather than making a statement. “How do you show up?” isn’t just aimed at queer people. It’s a call to everyone—brands, allies, institutions—to reflect on their presence and participation in the ongoing struggle for equality and dignity.
Do you show up when it’s easy, or when it’s necessary? Do you wear the rainbow in June and then disappear in July? Do your values remain intact when they become inconvenient? These are the kinds of questions the campaign invites us to ask. And by grounding the visuals in real people and real places, Levi’s gives us a grounded answer: Showing up is not a performance. It’s a practice.
Lance Relicke, VP of Global Brand Experience at Levi Strauss & Co., captured the spirit well:
“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.”
It’s not just a corporate statement—it’s a truth observed. Levi’s jeans have long been part of queer history. From the androgynous style revolutions of the ’70s to the underground ballrooms of the ’80s and the gender-bending fashion moments of the now, Levi’s has been woven into queer culture as much as queer culture has shaped the meaning of Levi’s.
Beyond Rainbow Capitalism: A Case Study in Authenticity
We can’t ignore the fact that Pride marketing is a business decision. But Levi’s Pride 2023 feels like more than a strategy—it feels like a contribution. By foregrounding community members, incorporating inclusive language, and anchoring the campaign in lived experiences, Levi’s treads the line between visibility and voyeurism with care.
And this matters. Because too often, Pride becomes a profitable party that leaves out the politics. Levi’s flips that script. This is not Pride as a performance; this is Pride as protest, as identity, as everyday resilience. It reminds us that fashion can be more than just fabric. It can be a flag. And sometimes, that flag is blue denim with a rainbow thread stitched into the back pocket.
Denim With a Declaration
In a market saturated with fast, flashy campaigns, Levi’s continues to play the long game. Their Pride 2023 campaign doesn’t just say “look at us”—it says “we see you.” And that kind of recognition is powerful. Because at the end of the day, what most people—especially those in marginalized communities—want is not to be marketed to, but to be understood, to be seen, to be celebrated without being commodified.
Levi’s Pride 2023 doesn’t offer easy answers. It offers a mirror. And for many people in the LGBTQIA+ community, that mirror reflects something rare and radical in advertising: authenticity.
So, how do you show up?
In Levi’s world, the answer isn’t about what you wear—it’s about how you wear your truth.