Catalogue Number
NMLH.2019.64
Object Name
Badge
Title
co op
People
Co-op
Description
Small enamel pin reading "co op" in the stylised brand font of the Co-op supermarket shop. The badge is rainbow in colour.
Rainbow colours and flags have been associated with the LGBTQIA community since 1978 when gay artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag as a symbol of pride. The original design had eight colours with their own meanings, but the simplified six-colour rainbow is more commonly used today (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.)
The modern Co-op shops, banks, funeral care, etc. originated from the Rochdale Pioneers, who opened a member-owned and -run shop providing good quality food in the 1840s. In 1863, the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) was founded to produce and distribute products to sell at hundreds of co-operative shops. Over the years, the CWS changed and renamed to become the Co-operative Group.
