Fluid: Space for Everyone

Fluid is Smithers’ Pride design for 2026.

I think we can all agree that the LGBTQIA+ community can feel like a pixelation of identities, expressions, and beliefs. At times it looks fractured, even chaotic, but there's still an allure and shine to it.

Fluid is reflective of the current situation in 2026 where conversations around sexuality and gender feel increasingly polarised and where nuance is often lost. Headlines are written for rage bait, debate explodes into outrage, and people are pushed to choose sides rather than given space to think clearly and compassionately.

Fluid was designed to celebrate people who are comfortable enough within themselves to live freely, and secure enough to allow others the same freedom. It's for those who don't need agreement in order to offer respect, and for people who understand that coexistence doesn't require uniformity.

You do not have to share someone’s experience to allow them dignity.

Coexistence is the key

Within the community, people relate to identity in different ways.

Some gay men feel deeply connected to broader queer culture. Others are simply gay, and that’s enough. Bisexual men may feel visible in some spaces and invisible in others. Some people value labels. Others don’t reach for them at all.

A lesbian may advocate strongly for women’s spaces while still respecting trans people as individuals, without being branded a TERF. A gay or bisexual man may support trans people fully while questioning where he fits as language, symbols, and expectations continue to shift around him.

These positions are often framed as contradictions and they're absolutely not.  They're examples of people navigating complex beliefs without dehumanising one another.

The thinking behind the design of Fluid recognises that tensions like this exist, and reflects the idea that once you reach a place of self-acceptance, the urge to control how others exist tends to fall away.

Fragmentation weakens community. Coexistence strengthens it.

Details in the design

The base of the print draws on pixelation, where edges soften and forms blur rather than snapping into sharp definition. The pixelation is deliberate... it functions as a metaphor for the ambiguity in our community. 

The colour palette is grounded in blue, layered with pink throughout the design. The colours move together naturally, creating depth and diversity.

Gender and sexuality symbols appear across the print as a defining visual feature. You might notice one that resonates with you, or one that speaks more clearly to someone else. Either way, there’s comfort in knowing that others see themselves here too, and that a design can hold multiple meanings without needing to resolve them.

That shared sense of space, of living and letting live, is what Fluid carries.

Fluid was created for people who are comfortable enough within themselves to live freely, and relaxed enough to allow others that same freedom. When self-acceptance is present, attention shifts to the world you orbit, and how to make it a better place for you and the people in it. 

That is what Fluid represents; space for everyone.

Live honestly. Let others do the same.

Purchase Fluid here.

Pride at Smithers

Each year, Smithers releases a limited Pride design as part of our ongoing commitment to inclusion and acceptance. We're proud to be part of the community that has offered so much, so its our way to give back. Typically we release the design in sync with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival (Australia's equivalent of Pride).

Often times I'm told our Pride pieces have been a source for dialogue and education. This is important because it fosters empathy, understanding and unity by inviting others to engage with stories or experiences that may differ to their own. I hope Fluid helps to bridge divides and builds connections within our diverse community.

As with all our Pride designs, they're made in small runs and once they're gone, they're gone. Fluid has been designed and created with care, intention, and respect for the community that surrounds the brand. Fluid is our Pride design for 2026.

If Fluid speaks to you, now is the time to grab yourself a pair.