Taking Over H&M Group

They say that to change the world, you need to start within your closest circles and your immediate environment. With this in mind, Container Love partnered with H&M for the second time to bring a shared vision to life: making queer love visible to everyone. Through our ongoing exhibition series, ‘Visible Love,’ we took over H&M’s striking flagship store in Berlin Mitte.

This immersive exhibition showcased powerful images from internationally acclaimed photographers such as Lindsay Ryklief, Jess T. Dugan, Rob Tennent, Allie & Jesse, Soraya T. Zaman, and Leo Maki, revealing to Berlin what queer love truly looks like. Beyond the exhibition, Container Love also produced a campaign featuring these images, including social media assets and PR activations. One of the photos went viral and continues to be a highly requested piece for exhibitions worldwide.

For Container Love, it’s essential not just to create beautiful TV commercials but to deliver activations that confront people with reality. After more than 10 years of doing this, including participation in countless music and art festivals, this collaboration felt especially rewarding as it allowed us to be present across Europe simultaneously. What began at H&M Mitte Garten extended to selected stores within the H&M universe, including COS, Weekday, & Other Stories, and Monki. Starting in Berlin, this project spread to Paris, London, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Copenhagen, culminating in another Weekday takeover during Pride month.

To enhance the storytelling of the exhibition and provide deeper insight into the artists and queer culture, Container Love created an online and social media special, offering access to interviews, editorials, and shops. That summer, we also partnered with Weekday and the NGO Civil Rights Defenders to launch an edition of unisex T-shirts featuring motifs from the exhibition and quotes from the Container Love manifesto: Love, Unconditionally!

In recent years, much has changed when it comes to queer visibility, yet the journey is far from over. While progress has been made, it hasn’t necessarily translated into a freer or easier life for queer people. On the contrary, hate crimes, particularly against trans individuals, are alarmingly high. With our events, we strive to create safe spaces where stories and perspectives can be shared. But these gatherings are more than just safe havens; they are round tables where creatives, agencies, brands, and decision-makers come together to discuss the possibilities for real change. Partnering with H&M, a major brand with influence, gave us a powerful platform to drive these conversations forward.

Media representation of queer people has evolved, but often falls closer to stereotypes than true role models. However, with ‘Visible Love,’ we aimed to challenge these clichés and address issues like rainbow-washing. Our Visible Love event attracted hundreds of attendees, and the Berlin exhibition alone drew thousands. The rooms and the beautiful backyard of Mitte Garten buzzed with vibrant energy, embodying the essence of a Berlin summer and showcasing some of the hottest outfits of the season.

For the ‘Visible Dinner’ at the H&M Showroom, we gathered Berlin’s most influential queer talents, along with role models and key figures from the media industry. This exclusive dinner was more than just a dinner – it was a meeting of minds, a celebration of individuality, and a powerful statement of love and inclusivity.