Grazia X CSM: Nine LGBTQ+ Creatives Share Their Memories Of Pride

For couple Ella and Catarina, last year's Pride saw them separated in different cities. 'We'd FaceTime every day and fall asleep to each other,' says Ella. 'This year I'm just looking forward to spending more time together.' Despite their isolation, lockdown enabled them to develop their queer identities further through research and reflection. 'A lot of people tell you how to be queer,' says Catarina. 'But being queer is what allows you to be yourself in the first place.' SL_Ella (on left) wears dress, £1,190, Bora Aksu. Catarina wears coat, £2,500, Lanvin; dress, £837, Bottega Veneta at Yoox (all jewellery models' own)_

Pride brings about reconnection for Otamere, when 'relationships and friendships blossom into a beautiful moment of connectedness, love and romance'. He's not invested in the parade itself – 'I'd just look online if I wanted to see a bunch of corporate Pride flags' – but rather the communal spirit and spontaneity of the day. When it comes to his craft, his mission is, 'to write the world I think should exist into existence.' LV_Otamere wears top, £180, Molly Goddard at brownsfashion. com; jeans, £365, Alberta Ferretti; hat, £320, Emma Brewin; jewellery, his own_

Greeks Kosmas and Dem have very different relationships with Pride. 'Coming from an island, I couldn't express who I was,' says Dem. 'In London, I'm in the right space.' Kosmas managed to find his community as a teen. 'Around 14 I discovered the underworld of Athens. I'd dedicate weeks to making outfits to go to underground gay parties.' Both will celebrate this month in the way most authentic to them, surrounded by friends and being their unapologetic selves. LV_Kosmas (left) wears top, £80, Kai Collective; jacket, skirt and jewellery, all his own. Dem wears top, skirt and hat, all his own_

For Loraine, lockdown has meant the loss of both performing live and London Pride. She's attended the parade since she was 19 and, in the past few years, it's become a family affair. 'My mum would come with me and wear the flag around her waist, from Enfield all the way to Soho,' she says. This year, Loraine plans to host a makeshift Pride, continuing the joyful tradition. 'We haven't been together since the beginning of the pandemic, to share it with them will be really nice.' PJH_Loraine wears shirt, £565, Bethany Williams_

London Trans+ Pride went ahead on what is usually Pride Weekend, 26 June, the anniversary of 1969's Stonewall 'It's a celebration and protest, which makes it a show of the strength of our community to be proud in the face of adversity,' says Emily, one of the event's co-founders along with Lucia, its founder, who adds, 'The world will tell you to hate yourself as a trans person and you need to be fierce enough to do the complete opposite. Love yourself as an act of resistance.'Lucia (on left) wears dress, £1,560, Taller Marmo; shoes, £795, Jimmy Choo. Emily wears top, £80, and gloves, £45, both Kai Collective; skirt, £595, Supriya Lele; sunglasses, £30, MEH; shoes, her own

My favourite memory of Pride is from New York's 50th anniversary, when I broke through the barriers and into the parade,' says Bradley. 'I was interning with Marc Jacobs, and it was the best experience ever. But really, Pride doesn't have a specific month to me, it's every day.' Two years on, the CSM 2020 graduate has founded his own London-based studios. 'I didn't think it would happen this quickly. In a way, lockdown helped by giving me the time to think and just do it.' SL_Bradley wears waistcoat, £405, and trousers, £503, both Charles Jeffrey Loverboy; glasses, £130, MEH; gloves, £78, Miscreants_