Brand Crush – where we unpack the brands shaping culture through clever positioning and smart storytelling.
To celebrate Pride Month, the team at Thinking Hat came together to talk about the LGBTQ+-owned and queer-friendly brands that resonate with us most. From independent bakeries to creative studios and breweries, these are the brands inspiring our team right now.
LOLO CREATIVE
Known to most as LOLO, Laurent Guinci is the founder of LOLO CREATIVE – a design studio where fashion, fantasy, and film collide.
From Madonna’s favourite restaurant, MOMO, to working with global brands such as Universal Studios and Warner Bros, LOLO and his team have helped shape costumes for immersive experiences, world-famous theme parks and character-led costume design, creating pieces that don’t just dress people – they help bring entire worlds to life.
LOLO’s story is as cinematic as the work itself. A Cannes native with an eye for beauty and a hunger for more, he made his way to London, launched a capsule T-shirt collection and his talent got spotted. From there, he went on to assist across a number of well-known film productions from Harry Potter and Bridget Jones 2, to In Bruges and Skyfall, to name a few. Experiences that became important stepping stones in his career.
But that was only the beginning. Decades later, Laurent is still the most detail-obsessed person in the room, and his studio remains one of the most quietly extraordinary creative forces working today – sitting at the intersection couture-level craft, costume design, and pure imagination.
He’s one of our LGBTQ+ Brand Crushes because brilliance like his doesn’t just inspire, it raises the bar for all of us. Because when you’re designing magic, why ever think small?
TOAD Bakery
Scroll through Insta or TikTok and you’re bound to come across bakeries, restaurants, and popular food hotspots around London and the UK. And one that’s certainly worth a try is TOAD Bakery, an independent, queer-owned bakery in South-East London.
Highly popular because of its inventive pastries, rotating menus, and welcoming atmosphere, it is widely celebrated on the food scene and was even named London Bakery of the Year at the 2025 National Bakery Awards.
Founded by Rebecca Spaven and Oliver Costello, they bake everything from scratch in their open-plan kitchen in Camberwell. But what really wins me over more than how TOAD actively builds a welcoming, LGBTQIA+ inclusive space or their dedication to ethical staff practices, is their frequent collaboration with queer producers – keeping the supply chain in the family.
Drop Bear Beer Co.
Most Australians will tell you to run from a drop bear (IYKYK). This is the one exception. If you haven’t heard of Drop Bear Beer and you’re taking part in the no-and-low lifestyle, it should be firmly on your radar.
Drop Bear Beer Co. | Certified B Corp™ was founded by wife-and-wife team Sarah and Joelle Drummond. What started as a kitchen experiment has grown into the UK’s largest alcohol-free brewery. We’ve had the pleasure of working with them early on in their journey and have kept our eyes on them ever since. Along the way, they’ve picked up awards, achieved B Corp status, become the world’s first carbon-neutral alcohol-free brewery, and expanded across the country proving that alcohol-free beer can still pack serious flavour.
Sustainable, unapologetically bold, and determined to shake up an entire category, they’ve built a brand that feels every bit as distinctive as the product itself. A brilliant LGBTQ+ founded business and a success story that’s still being written. What’s not to love?
GAY’S THE WORD
Tucked away in the heart of Bloomsbury, Gay’s The Word is one of London’s most iconic LGBTQ+ institutions. Since opening its doors in 1979, the independent bookshop has been a champion of queer literature, providing generations of readers with stories, representation, and a sense of belonging.
More than just a bookshop, Gay’s The Word has become a cultural landmark, welcoming everyone from lifelong members of the LGBTQ+ community to those discovering queer voices for the very first time. With shelves packed full of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and history, it continues to celebrate the power of storytelling and the importance of being seen.
What I love most about Gay’s The Word is its authenticity. In a world where brands often chase trends, it has remained true to its purpose for more than four decades, proving that community, consistency, and a clear sense of identity never go out of style.
The takeaway
Each of these brands share a clear sense of identity. Whether through community-building, cultural impact, or authenticity, each brand understands what it stands for and consistently brings those values to life.
That’s what makes great brand building. Not simply showing up for a moment, but creating something meaningful that people genuinely want to be part of for the foreseeable.
Which LGBTQ+-owned or queer-friendly brands are inspiring you right now? We’d love to hear your favourites in the comments.
