Starbucks has just released their Pride 2024 cups, and the vibrant range is a collaboration with another queer artist.
Last year, the coffee chain worked with Toronto-based designer and illustrator Tim Singleton on a range of bright cups to honor the LGBTQ+ celebration.
Starbucks’ Pride 2024 cups
The new Starbucks collection is designed by British queer illustrator Sofie Birkin, who is based in Denver, and includes four different cups, a press release reveals.
First, there’s the 24-ounce Stainless Steel Cold Cup, a bright orange and baby pink tumbler which depicts a Pride march scene with a waving rainbow flag. It’s complete with a swirling pink and red straw.
“It’s a really important time to talk about our history and about protest and how far we’ve come but how far we still have to go,” Birkin said. “This is celebratory, but it’s celebratory in a way that is a conversation between friends.”
Next up is a 16-ounce Stainless Steel Tumbler in a light pink and blue gradient pattern which is covered in sentimental objects you might find tucked into a backpack including sunglasses, instant photos, lip balm, astrology pins, a sew-on patch and gummy bears.
“I really love to work with nostalgia,” the artist said. “I like to create things where you’re not entirely sure what year it is.”
The third cup is a 24-ounce Studded Plastic Cold Cup Tumbler which is purple and features a double rainbow, one on the front of the cup and another on the straw. There is also a cute cupid embossed on the back to add a romantic touch.
Finally, the range also includes a 16-ounce Plastic Tumblerwater bottle for on-the-go drinking, which is metallic and covered in Pride flags, sunglasses, a rainbow, flowers and a cute dog wearing a bandana.
“I had a lot of fun with this one, I was thinking about Pride season and that time of year,” Birkin said. “It feels really joyful and fun and exciting to me.”
All of the cups are available from May 28 at Starbucks stores across the United States and Canada while supplies last, except for the water bottle which is a US exclusive.
The coffee chain is currently serving its summer menu across America, which includes three new Boba Refreshers inspired by bubba tea, and some sweet, fruity snacks.
More about Sofie Birkin
Sofie Birkin is one of the most sought after queer illustrators across North America and Europe and has worked as a professional illustrator for more than a decade, her website reveals.
She creates vibrant, powerful illustrations of LGBTQIA+ characters, which “push back against historical conventions of femininity” and always have a complex narrative behind them.
Birkin has worked with a number of huge brands including Adidas, Aldi, Apple, Benefit Cosmetics, Playboy and Snapchat.
“I really like to illustrate human connection,” she said. “The unifying theme is that I just really like to show the ways that people are with each other.”
The collaboration is part of the Starbucks Artist Collaboration program, which celebrates voices and stories of artists from around the world.
