This Pride 2025, Gay Times have teamed up with illustrator Ben Jomo and Wolf&Badger Soho to celebrate queer-owned brands and LGBTQIA+ creatives, with a window display featuring our 2025 ‘Work’ cover, designed by Jomo, repurposed for a fabulous vitrine at the brand’s central London store.
But we didn’t want to stop short of that. No, no. We wanted to bring the brands to you (yes, you) and show you just how stunning they are. Better yet, we interviewed the makers so you can get to know the talented bunch of queer people behind the curtain.
Ella Douglas
Ella Douglas is a London-based fashion designer and Central Saint Martins graduate whose work explores queer identity, subculture, and storytelling through bold, sculptural design. Born in Oxford, Douglas fuses industrial materials, intricate detailing, and automotive influences to create pieces that are both tactile and thought-provoking. Her handmade creations reflect deep research and personal experience, blending the past and present in subversive, unapologetic ways. At the heart of her studio practice: her signature trucker hats—crafted in London, and made to stand out.
Take it away Ella…Tell us a little bit about you and your brand!
I’m Ella Douglas, a recent Fashion Design graduate from Central Saint Martins.
My work is defined by bold, unapologetic storytelling that explores queer identities, subcultures, and narrative-based design. I combine sculptural silhouettes with technical innovation, often inspired by automotive aesthetics and intricate detailing. Grounded in both deep research and lived experience, I work with industrial-influenced textiles and tactile embellishments that reflect personal and collective histories.
Tell the readers at Gay Times how being queer informs your brand
When designing, I always view art through a queer lens, allowing each collection to reflect something deeply personal. By drawing inspiration from queer narratives, I’m building a world for my brand that invites others who may see themselves in the work or find a sense of belonging within it.
What do you want to see more of in your industry this Pride?
I want to see real change in the industry, with greater visibility for independent designers who spotlight their communities and bring forward diverse perspectives. It’s equally important that this support extends beyond Pride Month—these voices deserve recognition and celebration all year round.
What does working with Wolf & Badger mean to you?
Working with Wolf & Badger is an incredible opportunity for me as an emerging designer. I’m deeply grateful to be showcased on such a prominent platform. Seeing this kind of support for young designers gives me hope for a more inclusive and promising future in the industry.
Cartography
Tell us about your brand?
Cartography is a NY based jewelry brand that crafts original pieces with a message and a mission. We work exclusively with other small businesses that are as ethically conscious as us. From our silver supply that is mindfully minded in Italy, to our mom-n-pop manufacturers in Rhode Island and NYC, right down to our by-hand assembly line in NYC and Ohio, we champion fair wages and the entrepreneurial spirit.
Additionally, each purchase with cartography helps those who need it most, benefitting the marginalized communities we hold near and dear. Whether through donating items to charitable queer events, including polaroid pictures of queer-empowerment graffiti with every purchase, or annual monetary donations to The Trans Justice Funding Project and Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation, we strive to create an intimate, compassionate community in the digital shopping world.
How does being queer inform your brand?
Cartography started in the back of a tour bus – but not just any tour bus.
I have traveled with queer icon Rufus Wainwright since 2008 on his world tours and found myself making gifts for friends from tokens I gathered on the road. As my gifting evolved to an actual brand, being a gay man informed my very first collection – IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES, a series of anatomical hearts inspired and named after the men I’ve loved. From there, I never shied away from presenting cartography as an extension of myself. Through imagery, copy and branding, I have always been queer-forward and celebrate the diversity of my community, aspiring to showcase underrepresented segments of the LGBTQ+ rainbow by using black, Asian and trans models as often as possible. While unsuccessful, I still keep my eyes open for persons with disabilities and First Nations talent.
One of my favorite elements of creation is storytelling and teaching others about the richness of my community’s history. This is most apparent in my naming of pieces, in particular
ACT UP: a match stick to light the spark of change and named after ACT UP, the revolutionary grouped founded in 1987 during the AIDS epidemic, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) were known for their aggressive and penetrating displays of protest
PAY IT NO MIND: named for Marsha Pay-It-No-Mind Johnson – widely considered to be the trans-godmother of the revolution
FAGGOT and DYKE name plates: my most daring venture, but an offering my community to take back the childhood taunts and reclaim what was once held agaisnt them as their own source of pride – happily the NYTimes recognzied this effort and ran a very tender piece about them.
Rainbow Rider: featuring Iris, the Greek goddess of messengers and rainbows – say no more, huh?
NO WE WITHOUT THE T: our most recent addition made in protest to the Trump administration and JK Rowlings bullying, this is a special piece we designed with Justin Vivian Bond, a legendary NY based cabaret artist and activist, with a portion of proceeds going to the Trans Justice Funding Project.
What do you want to see more of from your industry this Pride?
I would love, as I’ve been trying to do, to see more First Nations and persons with disabilities represented though brand imagery. Everyone deserves to be seen and recognized as beautiful.
What does working with Wolf&Badger mean to you?
It’s been a thrill to have no editing or shrinking of my brand.
I’ve worked with other 3rd party retailers who shy aware and refuse my more controversial, conversational pieces, but you haven’t and it’s a small thrill to be able to presented an uncensored version of my brand.
The Wolf & Badger community gets it. Thank you.
MHARTJewelry
Michael transforms one-of-a-kind gemstones into wearable pieces of art that dare you to embrace your individuality. These unique stones are caged in a silver or gold chain, designed to mimic a spider web surrounding each gemstone. The webbing is both elegant and eye-catching. The gemstones themselves are each unique, with their own colors, patterns, and shapes. No two are alike, making each piece of jewelry truly one-of-a-kind.
Tell us about your brand
MHART Jewelry is a handcrafted jewelry brand rooted in storytelling, spirituality, and individuality. Every piece is made by hand using responsibly sourced gemstones and pearls, often wrapped in my signature “cage” technique — a delicate chain web that holds each stone like a talisman. The brand is deeply personal: it’s about energy, intention, and creating one-of-a-kind jewelry that people can connect with on a deeper level. No mass production — just meaningful pieces that feel like they chose you.
How does being queer inform your brand?
Being queer is at the heart of how I see beauty — fluid, bold, layered, and unapologetic. I don’t design for a gender or a trend. I design for people who want to feel powerful, protected, and seen. MHART is about claiming space through adornment. Growing up queer, jewelry was a way to express parts of myself I didn’t yet have words for. Now, my work is a celebration of that journey — of queerness as transformation, resilience, and magic.
What do you want to see more of in your industry this Pride?
I want to see the jewelry world go beyond rainbow tokenism. Support queer designers year-round. Invest in our visibility, our voice, our artistry. And honestly — more experimental, gender-expansive styling. Jewelry shouldn’t be boxed in by “men’s” or “women’s.” I want to see campaigns that reflect the fluid, bold, and beautifully diverse queer community as it really is.
What does working with Wolf & Badger mean to you?
Wolf & Badger has given MHART a platform to reach people who truly value ethical craftsmanship and independent design. It’s empowering to be part of a global community of creatives who are challenging fast fashion and doing things with more soul. As a queer founder, it’s also meant visibility — having my work shown alongside other diverse, thoughtful makers feels like recognition in a space that often overlooks us.
Jennafer Grace
Limited edition bohemian splendor, handmade in California. Jennafer Grace pieces are carefully designed with confident, eclectic muses in mind. All garments and accessories are hand crafted with the intention of being worn and loved for many years to come. Jennafer Grace is from San Diego, CA. Inspired by outlandish vintage and cinematic style, she believes that people of all ages and sizes deserve to feel beautiful. After working in the vintage & fashion industries, Jennafer realized that the most impactful shapes often lacked important factors: comfort and versatility. It is her mission to create beautiful items that stand the test of comfort, travel and last a lifetime. Jennafer Grace uses comfortable fabrics and linings to create wearable opulence.
Tell us about your brand?
Jennafer Grace Collection celebrates beings of all ages, genders and sizes. We are thrilled to offer universally flattering garments celebrating the joyous language of self expression. Our handmade pieces are created with love in San Diego, CA and have been enjoyed by iconic divas such as Jennifer Coolidge, Paula Pell and more. Our collectors vary across the rainbow of humanity, we are obsessed with seeing how they style and enjoy their pieces.
How does being queer inform your brand?
Being from California, queer culture is a very normal and favored part of our lives. Along with a shared love for vibrant colors and luxurious textiles, Jennafer Grace Collection connects with our audience through an obsession for opulence and maximalist expression. The movies and music that helped us feel safe being different; tend to help you find your people. We are loud and proud about being unique and looking special.
What do you want to see more of in your industry this Pride?
Out of all industries, fashion tends to lead the charge on queer rights and progressive issues. That being said, we can still do so much better. You still don’t see much variety in who is hired for high up jobs such as Creative Directors, etc. In all industries, there should be more focus on fundraising for people who lose their safety nets and families for being a little different.
What does working with Wolf & Badger mean to you?
Wolf & Badger is a leading name in the sustainability movement. They hold their designers and supply chains greatly accountable and only offer pieces of high quality. Wolf & Badger has given us positive growth in brand recognition, and it’s been wonderful to meet the collectors and store teams through pop ups and activations.
