The Heartstopper Pride Flag, created by The Great British Sewing Bee finalist Raph Dilhan, with input from fans worldwide, will be on display at Queer Britain.
Following a nationwide tour of Pride events, in which fans of the hit series were asked to contribute messages about how the show has impacted their lives, textile artist Raph Dilhan (The Great British Sewing Bee) has been commissioned by Netflix to create a Pride-inspired flag which aims to bring these stories together in one celebratory piece. The flag will be on display at Queer Britain Museum from today until Saturday, 19th October.
The unveiling took place this morning at Queer Britain in London’s Granary Square, where creator Alice Oseman and some of the show’s lead cast visited the art installation, surrounded by hundreds of eagerly waiting fans. In addition to the art installation, fans were invited to experience a pop-up of Charlie Spring’s bedroom, which previously appeared at Pride events in Brighton, Liverpool and Glasgow and will remain in place at its final spot in Granary Square until 6 pm today.
Leila Khan, Tobie Donovan, Corinna Brown and Jenny Walser with the Heartstopper Pride Flag designed by Raph Dilhan.
Once the messages were gathered, the Heartstopper Pride Flag took around two months to create. It measures 10 metres in length and contains several hundred printed messages from fans, each of which is intricately embroidered or hand-painted.
Raph Dilhan, textile artist and creator of the flag, said: “It’s an immense pleasure to have the privilege to design this unique piece for Heartstopper and have it exhibited at Queer Britain. Designing a bold flag for this series is not just about creating something visually striking – it’s about crafting a symbol that speaks to the whole of the LGBTQ+ community. Every stitch, every colour has a meaning, aiming to capture the essence of what Heartstopper represents: love, acceptance and the courage to be yourself.”
Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE, Director of Queer Britain, said: “Queer Britain is immensely proud to display Raph’s wonderful handicraft, filled with heartfelt messages of support from the nation’s Heartstopper fans. Queer Britain embodies welcome, inclusion, love, and community, and this artwork perfectly encapsulates these ideals.”
Alice Oseman, writer and creator of Heartstopper, said: “I’ve heard so many stories about Heartstopper fans saying the series has helped them through pivotal moments in their personal lives, like coming out to family and friends. As the characters in the series are growing up, so are their stories, and season three will see them having to support each other through difficult moments. I’m so hopeful that Heartstopper can continue to be a source of inspiration and support for young people, and thrilled that fans’ personal stories are now immortalised in this piece of artwork.”
The unveiling of the flag comes as season three of Heartstopper launched on Netflix this week.
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