Chosen Family: Inside H&M’s “Seen, Heard, Celebrated” Pride campaign with EE72
This Pride, EE72 and H&M celebrate the power of chosen family, bringing together Griffin Maxwell Brooks, Ashley Ballard and Essence Thomas to explore identity, connection and the communities we build for ourselves.
Chosen family is a theme that has always sat at the heart of queer culture, and one that feels especially resonant at a moment when ideas of belonging and visibility are increasingly contested. For many, family is not simply the one we are born into, but the one we build: the friends who become siblings, the elders who become mentors, and the communities that offer safety, affirmation and care. It is about finding home in one another and creating spaces where people can be themselves without explanation.
This Pride, EE72 joined forces with H&M to celebrate the communities we build for ourselves. H&M’s “Seen, Heard, Celebrated” campaign celebrates the beauty of differences and diversity within the LGBTQIA+ community, and emphasizes the importance of allies in helping LGBTQIA+ people have their humanity seen, heard, and celebrated.
Featuring DJ and nightlife maven Griffin Maxwell Brooks, fashion stylist Ashley Ballard and self proclaimed “It-girl” Essence Thomas, the film explores the many forms that chosen family can take, the labels that LGBTQIA+ people have overcome and reclaimed, and the quiet acts of love, resilience and solidarity that bind us together.
The film forms part of H&M Americas’ 2026 Pride campaign, which runs under the banner “Seen, Heard, Celebrated,” reflecting the brand’s ongoing, year-round commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community.
This year alone, H&M has renewed its partnership with The Trevor Project and supported organisations including the ACLU, NATIVE SON, Translatable and Rainbow Railroad amongst others. For the second year, H&M is partnering with Translatable, a nonprofit founded by Zaya Wade and Dwyane Wade that provides a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves, as well as a resource hub for parents, families, and support systems. In addition to supporting Translatable’s ongoing work, H&M contributed to the 2026 Translatable Ball, a gala fundraiser honoring the history of ballroom culture.
These partnerships enable LGBTQIA+ people globally to live safe, healthy lives, with the support of their own chosen families.
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