A new web app allows you to scan Pride rainbows to hear important stories from the LGBTQIA+ community

To celebrate Pride month this June, H&M has teamed up with creative agency B-Reel to create Beyond the Rainbow, an innovative campaign that “reclaims and recharges [the] rainbows with deep meaning”. With the parties and general frivolity that are integral parts of Pride, it can be easy to forget the significance of the celebrations that take place each year and what they represent. Rainbows have become the universal symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as being symbolic of the values that the community holds dear, and they can be seen everywhere during Pride. For Beyond the Rainbow however, B-Reel wanted to look past the visuals and focus on the important stories that they represent.

To do so, the team has created a digital experience that enables users to scan rainbow Pride flags – “from actual flags to rainbow donuts, shampoo, teddy bears, clothing and everything in between” – and be led to a “series of intimate, surprising, heartbreaking and joyful stories that let us feel what Pride really means”. These videos feature personal accounts from individuals across the LGBTQIA+ community discussing their own experiences as a member of the community. Amongst them are some recognisable faces such as American actress Mj Rodriguez and American YouTuber and LGBTQIA+ activist Chella Man.

To read more about the campaign and hear the stories visit beyondtherainbow.hm.com, where you can access the web app and start scanning. From here, users can also add their own stories to the conversation and access special Instagram filters that have been created to help celebrate this important month and remind us of the importance of the rainbow. As Mj Rodriguez says in her heartfelt message for the campaign: “The Pride flag is beautiful, but I’m not sure a lot of people understand how beautiful – I’m not just talking about the colours, it’s what’s beyond them.”