LA-based label, Bromelia Swimwear, has released a special Pride Collection to celebrate their allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. The founder and creative director, Lauren Quinn, has always championed this community since the brand's inception.

"Growing up in liberal California, so many of your friends and family are part of this community and it made me always feel extremely connected to their cause of fighting for equality, not just on the books but socially as well." This thread naturally has been sewn into the roots of Bromelia Swimwear.

100% of the editorial staff has all been LGBTQ+ members, which a large focus on the trans community. Bromelia does not want to highlight them just for the sake of highlighting, but they have always proven to be the best at what they do.

"We don't go out of our way in order to feature this group, but our way is not the traditional corporate commercial route that so often avoids them. For example, at the start of the first collection, I literally walked the streets of interesting but off-beat neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro for days on end until I crossed paths with artists whose creativity fit the collection's aesthetic. In Brazil, people are more open to this random method of meeting a stranger and creating. This organic method gives an opportunity to a variety of artists that might not have otherwise had a voice. Perhaps they weren't with the right agency, working 9 to 5s, or avoided the creative path altogether as it didn't pay the bills.

Producing this special collection down in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil made it that much more important to showcase the brand's fierce loyalty to this community. There are a few places in the world where there's no judgment against the LGBTQ+, but South America can pose a particularly challenging environment. "Working in Brazil and getting to know these individuals firsthand, really painted the picture of what it's like to be a member of a community that's not fully accepted for being who they are." Adhering to Bromelia's ethical roots, the brand has helped give a voice to this community through fair waged fashion, equal representation, and respect for their craft.

"We added a small men's capsule collection this season because men need interesting swimwear, too! Working heavily alongside the LGBTQ+ community, I've come to realize that there’s a real lack of men's swim options, so as men spend equally large amounts of time on the beach in Brazil as women do, I took inspiration from the classic Rio de Janeiro style of men's trunks. I kept them simple, as this style’s concept is to have swimwear that doesn’t move around constantly, but stays still, so you can focus on the moment. And I kept in the most crucial element, the hidden zipper pocket, so you can leave your house or car with nothing more than your flip flops and an appetite for the beach. The result is the Val swim trunks.

LGBTQ+ inclusivity should be celebrated more than just in the month of June. But Bromelia will continue to champion both behind the scenes and in their collections until that day comes.