Thanks to his starring role as Anthony Bridgerton on Bridgerton, Jonathan Bailey has catapulted himself into the public consciousness. (Plus, with the critically acclaimed Fellow Travelers and forthcoming turn in Wicked, he shows no signs of slowing down.) But today, Bailey launches his most personally meaningful project to date—his charity, The Shameless Fund—with a little help from Jonathan Anderson and Loewe.
The Shameless Fund seeks to harness the power of celebrity to raise money for LGBTQ+ initiatives. “A few years ago I thought, What can you do as an actor? There are so many amazing people who are on the frontline. They’re the real heroes that are working for organizations, and charities, and initiatives, which can speak to so many specific groups of people,” Bailey tells Vogue. “How can I raise money without asking people to actually donate and sponsor, to invite people to experience art and beautiful, inspiring, naughty, and exciting collaborations?”
Courtesy of Loewe
For a charity that aims to help members of the queer community across the world live freely and authentically, Bailey knew that he wanted to kick things off with a bang. Thus, he landed on a suggestive white T-shirt with milk dripping from the collar, inspired by a sexually charged scene in Fellow Travelers in which Matt Bomer’s Hawk tells his character Tim to “drink your milk.” “That is a line in Fellow Travelers, immaculately and robustly performed by Matt Bomer in a way that I think will send shudders through many people in the best possible way,” Bailey teases. “I wanted his performance to be immortalized, and I wanted my character’s reaction to it to be immortalized as well. I think this T-shirt does just that.”
Courtesy of Loewe
Courtesy of Loewe
Courtesy of Loewe
Courtesy of Loewe
A regular presence at Loewe shows, and a guest of the House at the 2024 Met Gala, Bailey has a preexisting friendship with creative director Anderson. But when the two got to chatting at a Studio Voltaire fundraiser, Bailey felt a sudden spark of inspiration. “We had a deep, dark, and brilliant conversation about life, and passion, and opportunities. I started talking about this idea of foundation that I’ve had that has been dormant, fizzing in my brain like a volcano,” Bailey says.
Bailey knew then that he wanted to launch the charity with a Loewe collaboration. “I was connected to queer taste way before I even understood what it was. And I do think that’s what Jonathan does. He’s naughty and he’s twinkly, and he’s so alive and curious,” Bailey says. “It just makes perfect sense that the first one is with him, with something as twinkly and naughty as ‘drink your milk.’”