In partnership with OutNebraska, a custom-designed graphic tee was created to represent support and growth for the LGBTQ+ community. Each element of the design draws from symbols that are historically and culturally significant to the LGBTQ+ community. Explore the detailed meanings behind the design as we approach Pride Month.
The red thread is the symbol that literally ties the message together. It represents the blood that runs through all of our veins, symbolizing vitality and the most basic connection all humans have to each other. In Eastern cultures, the Red String of Fate symbolizes connection between two souls over multiple lives. In modern media, we often see the trope of a character drawing connections between pictures and articles on a bulletin board using red string.
In addition to representing Omaha Fashion Week as a sewing needle and thread, the red thread in this design symbolizes the innate connections between all people in our local and global community.
The black and brown stripes, first introduced on the Philadelphia Pride flag in 2017 to promote the inclusion of people of color within the LGBTQ+ community, are alluded to in the colors of the spool.
One of the criticisms of the flag design was that they promoted separation between people in the community, and in a sense those stripes display the physical differences between people. The black and brown stripes are included, along with the red thread, to acknowledge the issues that are faced by people of color even within the LGBTQ+ community, and to simultaneously show that human connection runs deeper: we all bleed the same.
Support the local LGBTQ+ community! All profits from the Grow Together With Us T-Shirt go to OutNebraska + its mission.
Learn about the significance behind the design of the OutNebraska Grow Together With Us T-Shirt. Stay tuned for future blog posts + more. Stay up-to-date by following Omaha Fashion Week on Instagram.
