We proudly present the Queer Icons exhibition – a unique story where clothing style intertwines with queer history and identity. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Levi’s® Archive – we would like to express our gratitude to Levi’s Polska for their excellent work on this exhibition and its financing.
The Queer Icons exhibition is seven unique exhibits that are part of the mission of the Queer Museum – preserving the history and objects belonging to queer people, inspiring, celebrating diversity and educating all communities about queer culture. From artists, through rock legends, to heroes of queer history and the fight for dignity and equality – each of them expressed themselves also through clothing. Their authenticity and courage are now becoming part of our common heritage.
At the exhibition we show:
– Jeans and a jacket belonging to the legend and icon of rock Freddie Mercury (1970s);
– Supervisor jeans and T-shirt belonging to Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay city councilman (1970s);
– Elton John’s custom look (1974);
– Levi’s first PRIDE collection jacket (2014);
– A custom two-piece set worn at the Eagle, a legendary San Francisco leather bar, by Donor community member James B. (1970s);
– A custom Big E Levi’s denim lesbian trucker vest worn by a member of “The Fugitives,” a black motorcycle club from the San Fernando Valley in California (1960s);
– Jeans with screen-printed sketches of Warhol’s “The Last Supper” (2006)
The backdrop for these exhibits is a timeline spanning the 1970s to 2024, intertwining Levi’s® queer work with seminal moments in Polish queer history – both recorded and still in the making. The exhibition is now on display in London for the first time in Europe. Now, in June 2025, QueerMuzeum presents its Polish version – enriched with local context.
The exhibition is curated by Tracey Panek, Levi’s brand archivist and historian. The exhibition will run from June 12 to June 29, 2025. Selected items will be returned to the Levi Strauss & Co. archives in San Francisco, the brand’s home base.
