Levi's Unveils New Pride Clothing After Refusing to Eliminate DEI Programs
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Levi Strauss & Co. unveiled its 2025 Pride collection shortly after a decisive shareholder vote to retain the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Levi for comment.
Why It Matters
Pride month is observed in June each year, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a series of protests for gay liberation. This year's Pride month comes at a critical time for LGBTQIA+ people; President Donald Trump has taken multiple steps to unravel protections for transgender people since returning to the White House.
Trump also moved to dismantle DEI initiatives shortly after his inauguration. He has described such initiatives as "radical" and "wasteful."
What To Know
The collection, titled "Meet You In the Park," is described by Levi's as "celebrating queer joy through self-expression," and is inspired by "LGBTQIA+ rodeo culture from the '70s to today." Levi's makes an annual donation to Outright International, a global organization that supports LGBTQIA+ people worldwide.
Images of flat lay products from Levi 2025 Pride Collection.
Images of flat lay products from Levi 2025 Pride Collection.
Levi Stauss & Co
The collection features denim items, such as jackets and shorts, as well as wardrobe basics like sweatshirts and t-shirts. The staple items feature LGBTQIA+ symbols, including a rainbow and an upside-down pink triangle.
The inverted pink triangle is an important symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community. It was originally a Nazi-era symbol sewn on the uniforms of gay detainees in concentration camps. It was later reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community and reappropriated as a positive symbol of self-identity.
In April 2025, less than 1 percent of Levi's shareholders supported a proposal to abolish the company's DEI programs, per ESG Dive. The move comes after the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative Washington-based think tank, submitted a proposal calling for Levi's to halt diversity programs, employee resource groups, and any consideration of race or gender in hiring or promotion.
Levi's management firmly recommended voting against the measure, stating that DEI supports business performance and employee wellbeing and that removing DEI programs would not be in the best interest of shareholders.
Following the re-election of Trump, something that was interpreted by some as a rejection of the DEI and "woke" policies adopted by much of the corporate world over the past few years, companies including Walmart, Bud Light and Target have walked back their DEI policies.
However, other companies, including Goldman Sachs, Costco, and Apple, have decided to continue with their DEI initiatives.
What People Are Saying
Levi's, on their website, describing their collection: "Inspired by queer liberation iconography, our collection pays homage to the history of San Francisco, an LGBTQIA+ mecca and home to Levi's."
What's Next
Pride month will last for the whole of June, with multiple celebrations taking place across the world.
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