Celebrating Pride: 4 Unsung LGBTQ+ Leaders in Fashion
By Jayden Catoe
As we close out Pride Month, we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite LGBTQ+ designers who we feel have not been given their flowers. At Custom Collaborative, we believe in showcasing the unsung and undervalued, so here are 4 fashion changemakers to follow.
Shayne Oliver
Shayne Oliver revolutionized streetwear and high fashion through his visionary work at Hood By Air (HBA), creating a brand that’s become synonymous with avant-garde, luxury, and gender-fluid design. In 2000, when Oliver was 12, he moved with his mother from Trinidad to New York, where he attended Harvey Milk High, a school for LGBT+ students, and got an up-close education in the ballroom scene. As a result, Oliver’s work extends far beyond traditional fashion boundaries, with HBA growing into a phenomenon that influenced music, art, and youth culture worldwide during its peak years. Oliver departed the brand in 2023, but you can still find HBA’s influence all over Fashion Week, from both small labels and established fashion houses. His approach to design challenges notions of masculinity and femininity, creating pieces that celebrate fluidity and self-expression, with an impact on the industry that can’t be overstated. Oliver's influence on modern streetwear is particularly significant, as he helped elevate street fashion from its roots to high-fashion runways, proving that these aesthetics could command the same respect as traditional luxury. His recent work continues to push boundaries, exploring new territories in fashion that blend technology, performance, and artistic expression.
Raul Lopez
Hood By Air co-founder Raul Lopez's journey, from his foundational work at HBA to establishing his own label Luar, represents one of fashion's most compelling evolution stories, showcasing how creative vision can transform and mature while maintaining its rebellious spirit. Lopez recalls changing clothes on the train from Brooklyn before emerging into the “chaotic wonderland” of Christopher Street, one of the few safe havens for the LGBTQ+ community at the time. This thumping club scene is where he met his eventual design partner, Shayne Oliver. His collaborative work at HBA helped establish the brand's distinctive downtown aesthetic, but his solo venture with Luar has allowed him to more fully express a unique design philosophy that blends Latin American influences with contemporary luxury. The brand has exploded in fashion circles, mixing his Dominican heritage with luxury streetwear in ways that feel fresh rather than forced. When Beyoncé started wearing Luar consistently, it wasn't just celebrity endorsement — it felt like validation that Lopez had tapped into something real. His 2022 CFDA Award was long overdue recognition for a designer who's been quietly influencing the game for years. His work at Luar continues to evolve, exploring themes of identity, heritage, and modern luxury in ways that feel both deeply personal to Lopez’s experience yet universally appealing. Through both his collaborative and solo work, Lopez has proven that fashion can be a powerful vehicle for cultural representation and artistic expression.
Hana Holquist
Hana Holquist is making waves in fashion with her bold, unapologetic designs. A standout in the 2019 CFDA Showcase, her work has been heavily influenced by the exploration of her own sexuality, blending queer femme artistry and high fashion to create pieces that challenge traditional notions of gender and style. Drawing inspiration from drag culture, she infuses her designs with the same fearless creativity and theatrical flair, blurring the line between costume and couture. For Holquist, fashion isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s a form of self-expression and activism. Her designs invite wearers to explore identity, push boundaries, and celebrate individuality. One goal of her work is to create a visual language for lesbians and queer women in fashion to explore “femme” culture outside of both the male gaze and traditional notions of femininity. As the industry works to embrace more diverse voices, Holquist’s work stands out as a vibrant, necessary force in contemporary fashion. While her work is not widely available in luxury department stores, you can certainly find her designs influencing your favorite queer artist’s next outfit.
Prabal Gurung
A 10-year industry veteran, Prabal Gurung has consistently demonstrated his design excellence in some of the most high-profile and recognizable places in the world. From the Met Gala to red carpets worldwide, his creations have become synonymous with modern glamour, worn by many socialites and celebrities who take on his distinct brand of refined “lady cool” and colorful designs. Gurung appears in most major retailers, and the biggest fashion publications have showcased his ability to translate haute couture sensibilities into accessible fashion; however, he’s in this list because he’s also one of the biggest philanthropic fashion heads of today. The designer's commitment to social causes, particularly women's empowerment and LGBTQ+ rights, has added depth to his brand, extending beyond beautiful clothes to meaningful advocacy. He's been very vocal about issues affecting women in his native Nepal, funding education programs and working with local groups to combat gender-based violence. What's refreshing is that his activism doesn't feel performative or tied to marketing campaigns. It's woven into everything he does, from hiring practices to the causes his brand supports. It's rare to see a designer so consistently put social justice at the center of their brand without it feeling forced or opportunistic.