Queer-Owned Brands Leading the Way in Beauty and Wellness

When a business is created through a queer lens, inclusivity is inherent in how it’s run. For the founders and leaders behind Laguna-born Barbierro Barbershop, Makati-founded Deuces Coffee, Cavite-based Klued Skincare, and Baguio-rooted Rebel Bakehouse—belonging, diversity, and safety aren’t just empty buzzwords, but values they live by and run their businesses with.

“There’s power in helping people with their insecurities,” shares Maximo Cañega, Jr., CEO of Klued Skincare. Paul Sumayao, co-founder of Barbierro Barbershop, adds, “Being a queer-owned business is not just economic. It’s political and personal, how we hold out spaces for [queer] kids.”

“At Rebel, walang nagtatanong kung bakla ka ba, or tibo ka yata eh,” says Donna Aldana, co-founder of Rebel Bakehouse. (“No one asks if you’re gay or if you’re a lesbian.”) “That’s what safe spaces are. You wait for people to open up.”

And while we celebrate Pride in June, Deuces Coffee founding partner Richelle Labrusca is quick to remind us that “it shouldn’t just be celebrated, because it’s June. [Pride] should always be there.”