Gay Wool Is Here, Darling — And Fashion Will Never Be the Same
Fashion has always been one of the most delicious ways queer people tell stories — through silhouettes, through sparkle, through shade. But this time, the storytelling isn’t coming from sequins, leather, or harnesses. It’s coming from sheep. Yes, sheep. More specifically: gay sheep. And thanks to designer Michael Schmidt, a determined German shepherd (the real kind, not the Dom-meets-sub role-play kind), and Grindr… gay wool is having its global couture moment.
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
If you’ve ever gagged over Madonna’s Chrome Hearts pieces, worshipped Cher’s otherworldly stage looks, or caught the Black Eyed Peas in anything heavily embellished, then you already know Michael Schmidt’s genius. He’s the fashion sorcerer behind so many iconic garments. But his latest discovery, as he confessed to The New York Times, was far more shocking than any Swarovski corset:
“The sheep are killed for being gay.”
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
Before you clutch your pearls and shout absolutely not, unfortunately — absolutely yes. According to Esquire, non-mating rams (many of whom are gay) are routinely sent to slaughter. And The Berliner even reported that roughly 10& of sheep are homosexual. Meaning if they’re not vibing with ewes, farmers often assume they’re “useless.”
Well, not on Schmidt’s watch. And definitely not on Grindr’s.
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The Rescue Mission: Rainbow Wool Saves the Gays — Literally
Schmidt joined forces with German non-profit Rainbow Wool, founded by Michael Stücke — a gay shepherd and proud member of the gay farmers’ association. Since 2024, Stücke has been rescuing rams who prefer other rams, raising them safely, and using their wool instead of sending them to the slaughterhouse.
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
Think of Rainbow Wool as the queer farm sanctuary we didn’t know we needed — a pastoral, sunlit gay commune, except everyone is fluffy, four-legged, and prefers same-sex cuddling.
Grindr Enters the Chat… And the Runway
Leave it to Grindr to turn gay sheep into high fashion. In their boundary-pushing, category-shattering debut collection, Grindr premiered “I Wool Survive,” the world’s first fashion line made entirely from the wool of gay rams. The show — a 36-look spectacle featuring every delicious gay archetype imaginable — hit The Altman Building like a glitter bomb.
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
Grindr described the collaboration best–The project brought together two worlds that should never logically meet — a hookup app, a German sheep farm, and a celebrity designer — but absolutely needed to.
This wasn’t just fashion. This was a love letter to resilience, queerness in nature, and the wild unexpectedness of human (and sheep) connection.
The Science & The Save
Rainbow Wool’s mission is simple: rescue gay sheep because they deserve to live and thrive, not be punished for same-sex preference. Studies suggest about 1 in 12 rams are gay, and traditional farms slaughter them for it.
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
But Stücke refuses to let that happen.
“This collaboration proves that being gay is part of nature itself,” he said. “The wool from these rams isn’t just material — it’s a message.”
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
Schmidt’s Gay Universe on the Runway
Michael Schmidt took that message and spun it into a campy, sensual, theatrical universe only he could imagine.
- A Driver with perfectly snug knits.
- A Pizza Delivery Boy turned runway fantasy (and they fully committed to the pizza made of wool).
- A Wrestler in a wool singlet that should come with a parental advisory.
- A Jock. A Firefighter.
- A Coach. A Sailor. A Leather Daddy.
Every look struck the balance between humor, heat, and unapologetic queer storytelling. Wool harnesses. Wool jockstraps. Wool firefighter suspenders you’d absolutely swipe right on. Schmidt turned humble yarn into exaggerated gay iconography, proving once again why his work lives in the Met, LACMA, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The crowd roared. The models flexed. The gays lived. Exactly what you’d expect when you mix queer activism, fashion, and hot models.
Photo Credit: Grindr Presents: I Wool Survive (Instagram)
What’s Next? More Wool. More Awareness. More Gay Sheep.
Grindr and Rainbow Wool aren’t done. The 2026 mission: more rescued rams, more collections, more visibility. Some pieces will even be auctioned for LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Because connection — whether between people, artists, or sheep — is what the queer community does best.
REFERENCE: Grindr, The New York Times