«Visibility can shake and change things,» interview with Andrea Semeghini of LAUD END PRAUD The founder of the LGBTQIA+ rights event tells us all about the new edition

LAUD END PRAUD, the annual event that brings together fashion, art, and activism for LGBTQIA+ rights in Italy, is preparing for a new and surprising edition. The 2025 theme is “Queer Nature,” a tribute to the animal world and how it can inspire society to embrace all the diversity that defines it. Andrea Semeghini, creative director of VANADIO23 and founder of LAUD END PRAUD, told us that the theme of the new edition «was born from the desire to dismantle one of the most recurring and hateful claims of homolesbobitransphobia: the idea that we and our community are ‘against nature’». Over the years, LAUD END PRAUD has evolved into a must-attend event for creatives, designers, and lovers of Queer art and fashion in Milan and beyond. The fashion show organized by Semeghini and his collaborators has become one of the most anticipated events of Pride Month. «We realized that there is a desire to build together, that uniting around a common project is a strength. And that many believe in this journey because we pursue it with sincerity and passion,» says Semeghini. From the creation of merchandise signed by VANADIO23 to the involvement of very different designers and artists (as the theme “Queer Nature” deliberately suggests), LAUD END PRAUD continues to prove that fashion and activism can engage in dialogue, and the growing resonance of the event over the years is proof of this. «The need for visibility is more urgent than ever,» adds Semeghini. «A visibility that shakes, that welcomes, and that changes things.»

The selection of designers participating in the new edition of LAUD END PRAUD is based on clear values: «inclusivity, expressive freedom, political commitment, and a desire to create new narratives outside of dominant norms». Semeghini emphasizes that every year, collaborations are initiated with independent and authentic entities that are unafraid to be radical and Queer. For this edition, each designer was invited to interpret a specific theme inspired by the natural and plant world: Be Nina chose cacti to represent homosexuality, Lorenzo Seghezzi orchids for transsexuality, Florania butterflies and hermaphroditism, Andreazza beetles for bisexuality, Simon Cracker penguins and homosexuality, and Domenico Orefice clownfish for transsexuality. «A small ecosystem of wonders that challenges every norm and celebrates the freedom of existence,» Semeghini comments on the diversity that will walk the green runway of LAUD END PRAUD. This new edition will also feature collaboration with IED, which chose tomatoes to address hermaphroditism. The involvement of fashion and design schools in the project represents a stance by one of the institutions training the country’s new talents in defense of the LGBTQIA+ community and its enormous creative potential. «Involving schools is essential, it means opening up a space for intergenerational dialogue and offering students a concrete opportunity to participate in a collective, living, political project,» states Semeghini.

LAUD END PRAUD is not only about activism through fashion, but also about promoting and defending LGBTQIA+ rights with concrete action. The proceeds from the sale of the looks, available for purchase on Tuesday, June 24 at the PWC pop-up (via Pietro Custodi, 12), will be donated to Sportello Trans ALA Milano Onlus, led by Antonia Monopoli, which supports the social inclusion of transgender people. Semeghini told us that the collaboration with the center has been active for years. Against the discrimination, exclusion, and precariousness that transgender people in Italy still face, Semeghini states that «the center represents a fundamental place of listening, support, and welcome. We hope that the proceeds from the initiative can offer concrete help to those, like Antonia, who work every day to build a safer, more inclusive, and fairer Milan for all.» In a historical period marked by strong resistance to change, LAUD END PRAUD represents a safe haven where creativity and inclusion take center stage. «Nature teaches us to transform, to flow, to love ourselves without boundaries and without shame,» adds Semeghini. «We cannot afford to disappear.»

The LAUD END PRAUD fashion show will take place on Friday, June 20, at DOPO Space, Milan