Lawyer turned fashion founder Sonica Beckmann talks LGBTQIA+ allyship and the brand new We Are All Equals™️ Tee
BY CATHERINE RILEY, IMAGE PROVIDED
Pride is about community. It’s about celebrating what we share. And it’s also about protest, making sure we don’t lose sight of the things we still have to change.
This year, we know there is so much work still to be done: trans+ people are experiencing the damaging impact of policies designed to exclude them, the UK has plummeted in European LGBTQIA+ equality rankings, and LGBTQIA+ rights and freedoms are under threat as a toxic culture war plays out.
More than ever, we need to seek out moments of light in the shade. We need our spirits lifted. We need good news stories.
We’ve found one. Sonica Beckmann was working as head of legal of a multi-billion-dollar company until in 2023, aged 31, she walked away to begin work on House of Kind. Her womenswear brand, set up to unite and empower women through fashion, embeds visible symbols of allyship, kindness and equality into its designs. Look at any of House of Kind’s beautiful clothes and you’ll see hearts, equals signs and other emblems of Sonica’s commitment to being a uniting force in a divided world.
And the signs don’t stop there. When the Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that, for the purposes of the Equality Act, “man” and “woman” referred to biological sex, Sonica signed trans activist Jeda to model her PB Pride blazer – and also committed to donating 10% of its sales to Stonewall.
“I am an ally because equality is not conditional,” Sonica says. “We all have a responsibility to stand alongside communities facing discrimination and to use our voices, platforms and businesses to drive positive change.”
House of Kind has been endorsed by a range of famous faces, including Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise van Outen and Sharon Marshall. “It’s fantastic to have their support,” Sonica says. “They see what we’re trying to achieve, using fashion as a force for good while also raising awareness and donating funds to causes that support equality.”
This Pride month, Sonica is taking her support of Stonewall one step further with the launch of an exclusive collab. The We Are All Equals™️ tee, created in collaboration with Single Swan, is designed to symbolise unity, allyship and a reminder that all deserve to be treated fairly and equally.
I have loved helping get the collab ready. Sonica is a powerhouse, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know her as we’ve worked together on the We Are All Equals™️ tee. Stonewall is a charity, and we rely on support from all kinds of partners so we can carry on doing the work we do across policy and programming to fight for equal rights for all LGBTQIA+ people. This new tee means you can literally wear your heart on your sleeve to show your support for Pride, and for LGBTQIA+ people everywhere.
“House of Kind is proud to partner with Stonewall because we believe everyone deserves to be seen, valued and respected exactly as they are,” says Sonica. “We’re committed to meaningful action and supporting the ongoing fight for equality, inclusion and acceptance. We are, after all, of the same kind: humankind, and nothing else matters.”
The We Are All Equals™️ Tee is available online here. Denise van Outen is dj-ing at Stonewall’s summer fundraiser on 6 July: tickets still available here.
Catherine Riley is director of communications, strategy, and external affairs at Stonewall.
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