OUR STORY
A Different Approach To LGBTQ+ Clothing
We are a clothing and accessories shop made by queer people who want to be able to go out wearing something we feel good in and still be able to express our identity. It's aimed at LGBTQ+ people like us. People who don't always want to shout their sexuality or gender identity. But for whom those things are still important.
How We Started
The brand was founded by Jaime Baker and Suzi Fox because we couldn't find anything to wear out that let us express our identity quietly. Everything had huge rainbows on or was just a big pride flag. So we decided to set up our own label, with clothing and accessories for LGBTQ+ people who want to express their identity however they wanted to.
We hope the things you buy from us brighten your world. Everything we create is designed with love and a big hug. We're big on hugs!
We create iconic, fun, inspirational and colourful clothing and accessories for LGBTQ+ people that want to express themselves differently, to allow everyone to be themself and feel part of their community.
What We Do
We're trying to create more interesting clothing focussing primarily on designing things that look great anywhere but have a reference to each Pride flag we include. We aim to make things you can wear to the office, the gym, at home or on a night out and feel comfortable. Our philosophy is 'Be Yourself Anywhere', so with our clothes you can identify loudly if you want to, or quietly, or in some cases, just for you. Yep, some of our clothes have the flag only on the inside.
Our Products
At the moment we use print on demand for our products, and we have spent a lot of time researching the right partners that we feel have the highest quality products and the best quality print and embroidery.
We also have the ability to ship anywhere in the world so wherever you are you'll be able to buy through our site and get your lovely things sent to your door.
But if you're in the UK please look out for our stall at Pride events. We had an incredible response at Pride in London and Trans Festival last year and we're hoping to do a lot more Pride events in the UK in 2023.
We Believe In
Inclusivity & Empowerment
We currently include designs for 14 different LGBTQ+ identities. But we want to give everyone the power to express themself fully. So if you'd like us to do a design in an identity we don't yet include please just ask us.
Supporting Our Community
We always work with LGBTQ+ people if we can, whether that's our models, photographers, or external agencies. We know occasionally this may not be possible, so in these cases we ensure that people we work with are staunch allies.
Honouring Our History
Knowing queer history means understanding how hard people fought for our rights. And knowing that if we get complaicent we'll lose them. So our social pages are full of historical events and icons who's shoulders we stand on.
Giving Back
For many LGBTQ+ people the first time we really feel understood is when we meet others like us. It's not until we do that, and form bonds with those amazing people that we understand what community means. And our values are bound up in that sense of being there for each other. For us the LGBTQ+ community is our family and we will do everything we can to support that family.
We commit to giving 20% of our profits to LGBTQ+ charities and good causes, and we will review our chosen charities annually.
Find your Identity
The identities we currently include are: LGBTQ+, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-Binary, Pansexual, Gender Fluid, Genderqueer, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, Polysexual, Queer and Intersex. We also include some intersectional identities such as Trans/Lesbian, Aro/Ace and Agender/Asexual. As time goes on we will add other identities. If you love a design we've done but we haven't done it for your identity then please let us know on contact@therainbowstores.com and we'll do it for you.
Protest
You'll find a lot of protest and political t-shirts in our shop. As a minority community our rights are ALWAYS under threat. You only have to look at what's happening with the Trans community everywhere and now with drag being outlawed in many U.S. states. It's truly horrifying.
With each success the far right and religious extremists want more. So we must never miss an opportunity to protest and defend our rights.
