The founder of HOWL writes about turning a queer rave into a gamechanging lube empire and encourages us all to embrace the art of uninhibited pleasure and radical desire
BY SAMUEL DOUEK, IMAGE PROVIDED
I can barely walk. My feet are wrecked after what can only be described as the craziest month of my life. And all because of HOWL, a little party I started which has grown into a full-fledged, radically inclusive lube empire, and I couldn’t be happier. HOWL’s story starts in 2019, when I was a struggling film director who had been running small LGBTQIA+ events on the side for five years. I tell people I got into nightlife because I was tired of people complaining about clubs closing, but really, I was craving a community I never had. One that celebrated every identity across the spectrum, where queer women, men, non-binary, trans, and other marginalised people could celebrate their identities.
After cutting my teeth with smaller gigs, I decided that I was finally ready to start an epic queer rave. The name was inspired by Alan Ginsberg and his poem HOWL, a creative work at the centre of an obscenity trial that helped usher in cultural and sexual liberation in the 1960s. HOWL’s goal was to unite music, visual joy, and pleasure under a single roof, combining different genres and curating a gender-inclusive darkroom. A space where people of all identities could explore sex-positive nightlife on their own terms, paving the way for more uniquely inclusive spaces like this.
HOWL’s first rave was on 10 August 2019, at GROW in Tottenham. It was sexy, sweaty, and beautiful. But then came the pandemic, ending nightlife overnight. Clubs, DJs, dancers and performers all thought they might never work again. I never planned to be an entrepreneur, but I wasn’t ready to let go of HOWL. So I got creative. I found a way to transform that same energy from the dancefloor and channel it into an inclusive brand that conveyed a mantra we’ve always lived by: pleasure belongs to everyone.
“The goal was to create a sexual wellness company that would embrace all genders and sexualities, not just a cookie-cutter formula aimed at cis gay men”
That’s when HOWL became a lube brand. The goal was to create a sexual wellness company that would embrace all genders and sexualities, not just a cookie-cutter formula aimed at cis gay men. Our lubes are pH-balanced for all bodies and safe for internal and external use, reflecting the diversity of the people using them. Four years after HOWL’s launch, we landed Selfridges, hosted 20-sold out raves, and I put my film career on hold to embark on a fundraising journey.
Through angel investors who believed in me, and a community crowdfund on Republic, we raised £400k and even got non-binary drag superstar Bimini on board as a shareholder! The money allowed us to hire more LGBTQIA+ staff, invest in more innovative sexual wellness products, build a sex education branch, and kick off HOWL TV. We didn’t grow up seeing brands that centred queer, trans and non-binary pleasure, so we’re building the one we always needed.
“We didn’t grow up seeing brands that centred queer, trans and non-binary pleasure, so we’re building the one we always needed”
Our summer has been massive: we launched a Pride activation with the Standard Hotel who are supplying our CBD lube to guests, hosted a 4000-person sold out HOWL Pride mini festival across three venues and nine stages, partnered with Universal Music to create The HOWL CUBE (the UK’s first live performance web series blending pleasure-focused storytelling and queer rave culture) and finally, a two-week road trip around the EU meeting our lube distributor and activating Whole Festival in Berlin as their lube sponsor and the host of the HOWL Pleasure Workshop Tent.
HOWL was born as a party, and despite its evolution, we continue to serve the community through our events. Everything we do is by and for the people who support us. We didn’t grow up seeing brands like this, so we’re building a space that we’ve always needed, where queer and gender diverse people feel seen and welcomed. We’re on a mission to revolutionise sex education through targeted content, groundbreaking visuals, and innovative partnerships in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
We want to tear down the shame that so many of us experience. Regardless of age, race, religion, size, gender, or sexuality, we are all victims of shame, and that is something HOWL wants to abolish. Our brand champions pleasure as a fundamental right and shatters the taboos that limit our existence. And I think this is perfectly summarised in our HOWL CUBE launch.
As governments continue to target LGBTQIA+ people, diversity is pushed out of institutions, women’s bodies are policed, and more people sway to the hard right. But HOWL stands firm and is proud to foster a safe space where every marginalised person has the opportunity to see themselves reflected in pleasure and has the confidence to be who they are.
About Howl:
Howl is a sexual wellness brand revolutionising intimacy through innovative sex tech products. They leverage the power of experiential events and a viral media channel to dismantle shame and champion pleasure. They sell lube, accessories and host LGBTQIA+ friendly parties.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA+ media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
✨linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine ✨
