Not Your Bro burst onto the NFT scene in 2022, bringing bold, rainbow-colored representation to profile picture collections (PFPs) with its unforgettable artistic collection.

The project features 10,000 hand-drawn NFTs of a woman’s profile, accented with flowers, colorful brush strokes, and diverse hairstyles, backgrounds, and accessories.

Natalie and Georgia, the project’s co-founders, created Not Your Bro to uplift women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and their allies in the web3 space and beyond. Since its 2022 mint, the web3 world has witnessed how they’ve used NFTs to multiply their impact through partnerships with fashion brands like the British online retailer Boohoo and non-profit organizations like Girls Who Code and The Trevor Project.

The project has received recognition, including being nominated for multiple awards and winning the 'Most Impactful Charity NFT Project' award at NFT NYC 2022. Here’s a closer look at Not Your Bro, its founders, and the many projects they’ve built.

Not Your Bro started with an NFT collection 

Natalie is one of Not Your Bro’s co-founders and lead designer. In an interview, she shared that the vision for the Not Your Bro avatar just came to her one Saturday morning. She instantly brought to life the visual of a powerful woman who is seemingly looking up towards whatever is drawing a half smile to her face. Natalie says the experience of drawing her was an emotional and empowering moment.

Each NFT pulls from the same rainbow color palette and has no skin tones. Instead, each Not Your Bro stands as a multi-colored, multi-faceted empowered woman. The collection includes 250 hand-drawn traits including tattoos, piercings, eyebrows, and accessories.

Natalie explains the why behind these creative decisions: 

“There are no skin colours used within the collection, just a bright colour palette that ties our art to representing the LGBTQIA+ community. The traits within the collection are badass yet soft and the art has already received wide support including appreciation from artists at the top of their game.”

Beyond its creative design and uplifting message, the project is also noteworthy for two other reasons. First, it was the inaugural collaboration between the co-founders, who also happened to be a couple. Natalie and Georgia were dating at the time and have since married. The project also drew attention because of its connection to giving back. 

According to the roadmap, the founders allocated portions of the collection’s funds to support organizations in the LGBTQIA+, girls, and women empowerment spaces, like Outright Action International, Malala Fund, Save the Children, and Girls Who Code. A portion of the monthly royalties is also donated to these causes.

It grew into a community that champions representation

More than a simple PFP project, Not Your Bro is something of a movement. The collection redefines inclusivity and representation in web3. Founded on the principles of diversity, equality, and empowerment, the project creates space for women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and their allies in a digital landscape.

Notably, Not Your Bro fosters a thriving community built on mutual support and respect. Members uplift one another, sharing ideas and creativity in a space designed to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming. This collective energy has helped shape a broader cultural shift, proving that NFTs can be more than digital items. Rather, they can drive real change.

That impact extends beyond web3: Not Your Bro earned recognition from Vogue Australia, which called the project "an astronomically successful incursion into the space."

At its core, Not Your Bro amplifies underrepresented voices and provides a platform for artists and creators to share their perspectives. By prioritizing inclusivity, the project is shaping a more equitable space—one where everyone can feel seen, heard, and valued.

They have uplifted distinct causes and created a movement around mental health awareness

Once the co-founding team brought Not Your Bro to the NFT space, they realized they could use the same model to raise awareness around another issue and created a collection specifically focused on mental health. 

In July 2022, the Not Your Bro team minted Not Your Demons, another 10,000 hand-drawn item collection with 250 traits. The NFTs were branded as the “other side of Not Your Bro” since each NFT is a mirror image of a Not Your Bro NFT. For instance, Not Your Demon #8286 (pictured above) is a mirror image of Not Your Bro #6003. The facial expression and design are the same in both NFTs, but the Not Your Bro team swapped minor attributes in the Not Your Demon NFT. In this case, they added different accessories, a lightning strike as an eyebrow, and a skull holding up the avatar’s bangs. 

As with Not Your Bro, profits from Not Your Demons also supported the mental health organization The Trevor Project, according to the project’s roadmap.

Since their founding, Natalie and Georgia built Not Your Bro’s mission around empowering and uplifting as many people as possible, particularly within often marginalized communities like women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. 

As the mission reads:

“Our mission is to build a community of like-minded people through this project, to give back to the community and to invite more women into the space. Also, to contribute to the representation of women in tech, in blockchain and in the NFT space so the current and the future women in this space can see themselves be represented.” 

It’s safe to say that Not Your Bro has done this and more.