OB Proud | Oliver Bonas

Celebrate Pride 2024 with us

Pride means something different for everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community. For us at OB, this means championing our LGBTQ+ Voices, our internal networking group, introducing our transition at work policy for Team OB and expressing our ‘Be Kind’ ethos everyday within the community. Although 1st June marks the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we are proud of all our LGBTQIA+ Team OB members 365 days a year.

For Pride 2024, we are showing our support across the UK with window installations by our design team. From the bright lights of Brighton to the music-filled streets of Liverpool (and many other stops along the way), follow us all through summer to celebrate.

OB Proud activities

We also have pop-up activities at three Oliver Bonas stores in locations where Pride parades are taking place, so drop in and take part. Activities will include:

•Signage station – get creative and design empowering placard signs to take with you on the Pride march.

•Glitter station – our teams will be on hand to help you get glittered up ready to join your Pride parade.

•Themed freebies, including pin badges and sticker sheets, while stocks last.

Pop-up dates

Glasgow – Gordon Street
20th July, 10-2pm

Liverpool – Liverpool One
27th July, 10-2pm

Brighton – North Street
3rd August, 10-2pm

Spotlight on:

Rosa Illustration

Check out the Pride window display at our Liverpool One store, designed by illustrator and artist @‌rosa_illustration_. Rosa’s work is centred around queer joy, female empowerment, and social issues, creating work to uplift and empower underrepresented communities.

We chatted with Rosa Kusabbi to learn more about her design process and final artwork.

How did you piece together your mural design?

I usually start by creating my characters - sometimes they’ll be modelled after myself, my partner, my friends or even just queer people I’ve met on nights out. I think this makes my characters authentic and joyful. Next, I’ll build up the background around them, adding nods to queer culture and creating a vibrant utopia!

Queer Joy is a recurring theme for you. What does Pride mean to you and how do you reflect this in your work?

To me, Pride is a protest. It’s about having the defiance to be yourself in a time or a place that doesn’t see you and standing up for others in your community that aren’t able to do so. It’s also a time of reflection, to remember the people who have come and fought before us.

Where do you find inspiration when creating the characters featured in your work? Are they based on people you know?

My characters are me - who I am now, who I have been and who I want to be. They are my community, my friends, my partner, my family and, if you’re perceptive, you might have noticed that my toy poodle Frida takes centre stage in most of my works, too!

What’s one piece of wisdom you’d share with the next generation of queer individuals?

I want to say what my late best friend once told me, which was allow yourself to be vulnerable and be authentically yourself. Don’t be scared of letting people see all sides of you. I think as queer people, this is something that can be so terrifying, but honestly, it’s scary for everyone to be vulnerable. I think when you allow yourself to be honest in this way, the connections you form with other people are so much stronger and your community becomes closer.

What queer-owned business do you want to shout about?

I want to shout out Lavender Nights. Lavender Nights is dedicated to creating vibrant, inclusive events around Liverpool that celebrate and empower the queer community. They host unique themed events that go beyond traditional club nights, offering alternatives like gay sports days, film nights and queer markets. Their mission is to ensure these events are loud, proud, and prominently visible, fostering a safe and joyful space where queer people can connect, celebrate and thrive, without the centrality of drinking culture.

Our partners

akt

We are proudly donating to the charity akt, to help with their invaluable support of LGBTQ+ young people. Formerly Albert Kennedy Trust, akt supports LGBTQ+ people aged 16-25 living in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. The trust helps young people:

•Stay safe in a crisis
•Find emergency accommodation
•Access specialist support
•Develop skills
•Identify and achieve life goals

Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust

We also support Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust with their Young Queers’ Clothes Swaps by supplying clothing rails and hangers, samples and contributions from our team as well as support on the day with volunteers from across the business. Mosaic’s mission is to support, educate and inspire young LGBT+ persons and those around them and their Young Queers’ Clothes Swap is just one small part of the amazing work they do in helping their young membership find themselves.

How we support in the workplace

• Launching our Transition at Work Policy.

• Implementing pronoun badges for all team members who want to wear them.

• Hosting our internal podcast, The OB Storytelling Sessions, with our LGBTQ+ Voices, for LGBTQ+ History Month.