Every June, the rainbow flags come out. Brand logos get a pastel makeover, corporate accounts post their solidarity, and for about thirty days, queerness is suddenly good for business. Then July arrives and most of it quietly disappears.
The Filipino founders below are the opposite of that. They build year-round, through pastries and pattern-making and pigment, and their queerness is not a seasonal campaign but the actual fabric of how they run things. Some have storefronts you can walk into this weekend. Some you will only find through a DM and a GCash number. All of them are worth your money in June, and in every month that follows.
If you want to meet a lot of them in one go, two events this Pride season make it easy. Been Here, Been Queer, Good Intentions Collective’s first Pride art market, runs June 6 at the Gimenez Gallery in UP Diliman, with free HIV screenings on-site through a LoveYourself partnership. Pop Up Mamser 2, a queer-owned weekend market in Marikina, happens June 13 to 14 at LoWA Studio, with a share of proceeds going to Metro Manila Pride’s march.
Filipino Queer-Owned Brands to Support
- Butterboy Bakehouse — croissants and weekend drag brunches in QC
- Glorious Dias — reworked vintage Filipiniana in Binondo
- Salad Day — maximalist handmade fashion and accessories
- FFTG Café — lesbian-owned café and safe space in Cubao
- Téviant — homegrown premium makeup line
- AtoZ — gender-fluid, inclusive clothing since 2020
- Space Encounters — interior design firm, furniture store, and art gallery
- Weekend Wanda — size-inclusive weekend and swimwear
- Schezca Design — lesbian-led graphic design and branding studio
1. Butterboy Bakehouse
If you have ever wanted to watch a full drag show in broad daylight while eating a warm croissant, this is the place. Butterboy Bakehouse was founded by partners Hilder Demeterio, an architect, and Jayson So, a doctor, who started baking together during their date nights before turning it into a business in 2019.
They are widely credited as the pioneers of the drag brunch in the Philippines, giving local queens a daytime stage for people who do not want to stay out late or step into a bar. The pastries hold their own, too. Classic croissants start at around ₱59, and bestsellers include the Pain au Chocolat and the salted-caramel Kouign Amann. The original commissary sits at 81 Basa Street in Quezon City, with a kiosk at SM Mall of Asia.
Demeterio has been clear about what makes a brand a real ally rather than a seasonal one. As he put it to Rappler, queer owners should make sure the product is the best thing they can offer, and use the business to promote the community rather than the other way around.
2. Glorious Dias
Glorious Dias is the vintage label founded by queer Filipino-Canadian artist Jodinand Aguillon, built around what its tagline calls a celebration of the good old good goods. The brand specializes in reviving vintage clothing and reworking it into new garments: reworked Camisas, modern Barong Tagalogs, relaxed Filipiñanas, and one-of-a-kind accessories made from deadstock fabric.
More than a shop, it doubles as a platform. Aguillon uses the space, both physical and digital, to feature other local brands and highlight fellow queer creatives, with an emphasis on addressing the margins that exist even within the community. You can find Glorious Dias at the First United Building in Binondo, Manila.
3. Salad Day
Salad Day is the independent brainchild of Filipino designer Will Mateo, built on fearless self-expression through a mix of textiles and mixed media. Expect handmade and custom pieces that lean maximalist and loud, from editorial and performance fashion to charms and accessories.
The brand has dressed plenty of local artists and drag performers, including Drag Race Philippines names like Precious Paula Nicole and ØV CÜNT. Salad Day is mostly reachable through its Instagram, and it is one of the labels you can shop in person at Pop Up Mamser 2 this June.
4. FFTG Café
Food For The Gays, a cheeky play on the dessert food for the gods, began as an online pastry shop run by culinary graduate Nariese Giangan in April 2020, in the thick of lockdown. By February 2021, she and her partner Chippy Abando opened a full café in Cubao, Quezon City.
Giangan, a proud lesbian and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate, built FFTG as a safe space where people can sit, breathe, and simply exist without judgment. The loft-type spot is known for its Iced Coffee Shakerato alongside Italian and Vietnamese comfort food, and over time it has hosted game nights, open mics, fundraisers, and drag shows. You will find it at 58 13th Avenue in Cubao.
5. Téviant
Téviant is the premium makeup line founded in 2018 by celebrity makeup artist Albert Kurniawan, with longtime friend and muse Heart Evangelista helping launch the brand. The name is a tribute to his mother, Tevianty, whom he watched applying makeup growing up.
Kurniawan, an Indonesian who built his career in the Philippines, is known for his advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community, including partnering with a local government to teach makeup and hairstyling skills. The line has grown from a small launch into a full range of foundation, eyeshadow, blush, mascara, and lip products, available through Lazada, Shopee, TikTok, and select SM outlets.
6. AtoZ
AtoZ has been making practical, gender-fluid clothing since 2020, led by founder and designer Angelica Alvarez alongside partner Kirsten Ariana. The name itself is the thesis: inclusivity that refuses to be tied down to a single letter of LGBTQIA+.
The label leans into the idea that being boxed into archetypes limits growth, so each piece is designed to move past those categories. It is a regular at queer creative markets and art fairs around Metro Manila, which is usually the best place to catch the collection in person.
7. Space Encounters
Space Encounters is part interior design firm, part mid-century modern furniture store, and part art gallery, led by co-founder Thor Balanon and head designer Wilmer Lopez. For a Pride list heavy on fashion and food, it is a reminder that queer-owned businesses shape the spaces we live and work in, too.
Balanon’s take on representation is refreshingly low-key. As he shared, there is something quietly queer about ordinariness itself, and that kind of everyday representation matters because queer people are just people like everybody else. The brand shows up regularly at design and art fairs, including MoCAF.
8. Weekend Wanda
Weekend Wanda designs what it calls weekend wear for the wandering woman, with body positivity baked into the brand. Its pieces run inclusive, and its swimwear lines go up to XXXL in tones meant to flatter a range of complexions.
In a local fashion market where size inclusivity is still far from standard, that focus does real work. The brand is reachable through its social channels, and its size range alone makes it worth a follow if you have ever struggled to find swimwear that actually fits.
9. Schezca Design
Schezca Design is a Manila-based graphic design and branding studio co-owned by Erika Isidro, who describes it as starting out as an art account taking on commissions before becoming something bigger. In her words, it grew into a platform for being a lesbian feminist and fighting to be visible in society.
If your own business or project needs design work, hiring a studio like Schezca is one of the most direct ways to put your money where your values are. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes support that keeps queer creatives working long after Pride Month wraps.
Why This Matters Beyond June
The honest reason to support these brands is not charity. They make good croissants, sharp clothes, solid makeup, and thoughtful design. Buying from them is just a good decision that also happens to send your peso somewhere meaningful.
The deeper point is the one Butterboy’s Demeterio keeps coming back to: you can tell what a brand really is by what it does when the rainbow flag comes down, from July to May. The founders here pass that test because the community is not their marketing. It is who they are. Supporting them in June is easy. The better habit is remembering them the other eleven months, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “queer-owned” actually mean?
It means the business is founded, owned, or led by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as opposed to a brand that simply markets to queer customers or releases a Pride collection in June. The distinction matters because your money goes directly to queer founders rather than to a seasonal campaign.
Where can I shop these brands in person during Pride Month?
Several appear at this June’s Pride markets. Pop Up Mamser 2 runs June 13 to 14 at LoWA Studio in Marikina and features queer-owned fashion labels including Salad Day. Been Here, Been Queer takes place June 6 at the Gimenez Gallery in UP Diliman. Butterboy and FFTG have permanent locations in Quezon City you can visit any time.
Are any of these brands affordable?
Yes. Butterboy’s classic croissants start at around ₱59, and Téviant prices many of its products at no more than ₱600. Several others, like AtoZ and Salad Day, sell directly through social media, which often keeps prices lower than retail markups.
How do I support queer-owned businesses beyond just buying?
Following them on social media, sharing their work, tagging them when you wear or use their products, and recommending them to friends all help small businesses grow without spending a peso. For brands like Schezca Design or Space Encounters, hiring them for a project is the most direct form of support.
Why focus on year-round support instead of just Pride Month?
Many queer spaces and businesses are small operations that need steady income to survive. A surge of attention in June followed by silence the rest of the year does not pay rent. Consistent support across all twelve months is what actually keeps these brands open.
M2.0 Communications is a public relations firm with expertise across consumer retail, lifestyle, food and beverage, and more. We help brands tell stories that resonate with the right audiences through media relations, social media and influencer management, and content ideation and creation. Get in touch to see how we can do the same for you.
