In recognition of Pride Month, the CFDA spoke with Rob Smith, CEO and Founder of The Phluid Project. Smith created a brand, combining his profession – retail – with his passion, a commitment to social justice. The Phluid Project is a leader in gender-free fashion, joining a global movement of freedom, authenticity, and self-expression, with values, a powerful community, and a fearlessness to challenge the status quo. Smith shares how his business works to empower, engage, and support the LGBTQIA+ community.
How did you define your core values and how do they play a role in your everyday business practices?
Phluid always leads with our values. They are the pillars of our brand. Our values are intention, integrity, acceptance, openness, balance, and fearlessness. We use these values as we make decisions. When naming our fragrances, we looked to our values and used them for each scent. Every time I start a presentation, I lead with values. I believe a company can be built on the foundation of values, creating an authentic and thriving brand.
How do you approach engaging and connecting with the LGBTQIA+ Community through retail?
First and foremost, our team is primarily LGBTQ+, with over half being of trans experience. We are queer centric, but not queer exclusive. We don’t shy away from our graphics which embrace our queer voice, our queer community, and our queer activism. Retailers from Target to Nordstrom are embracing this as it resonates with young consumers.
Do you provide guidance and/or education to your retail partners on how to communicate and engage with your community?
Most of our retail partners are on the journey of inclusion and representation. We launched GET Phluid as a training and education platform that supports our retail partners, along with other industries, to create safe and affirming spaces, both in the corporate office as well as with consumer-facing employees. When entering the gender-free space, it’s important to understand who you are selling products to. While ANYONE can buy and wear The Phluid Project, we are very aware that this is also a brand that embraces non-binary and transgender consumers. When they see Phluid in a store, I want them to have a positive experience and not be misgendered or feel uncomfortable.
What are some ways that retailers/brands can authentically integrate support and engagement with the LGBTQ+ community, not just for the month of June but 365?
It always begins with education. June is a great month to kick off the journey of sexual and gender inclusion. But, inclusion is a serious commitment and not just checking a box in June. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially with the GNC community (Gender Non Conforming). We teach companies Gender 101, which is basically the entry point understanding the difference between Sex, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression. Then we work deeper with workshops and exercises to create allies and advocates. We work with HR to address outdated language and policies to be more inclusive. Sometimes just a change of a word or an addition of a gendered form, can make a person feel validated and seen. It goes way beyond bathrooms with an unlearning and relearning of language. Truth is, we live in a cisgender and heteronormative world. It’s time we stop making assumptions and create new language to be more inclusive work spaces and consumer facing brands.
What does Pride mean to you and how is the Phluid Project recognizing this month?
Pride is moment to put the spotlight on our queer community. It’s a moment to pause and celebrate how far we’ve come. It’s a time to celebrate our truth and our authenticity, everything that makes us special. But, it can’t be all parades and parties. We need to look at the entire LGBTQIA+ community and really ask ourselves, are we doing enough to lift our entire community? Are we giving visibility, representation, and opportunities to each and every individual in our community? If we focus on trans women of color, we see that the life expectancy in this country is 35 years old. That’s absolutely unacceptable. It’s time for corporations to stop rainbow washing and really invest in the communities that are suffering and invest in education. To address this, I created The Phluid Phoundation, a non profit supporting the most vulnerable in our community, primarily trans women of color and homeless queer youth. I’m gifting to grass roots organizations that are doing the work and where a small donation goes a long way. I’m thankful that Saks off Fifth is donating 100 percent of Phluid sales to the foundation. I’m also donating 100 percent of my speaking engagements to the foundation. I believe I’ll achieve or exceed my goal of $200,000 this month.
Can you suggest any resources that retailers/brands can take advantage of as they work to become more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community?
I’ll be honest. The Phluid Project and GET Phluid is a one-stop shop if you’re looking to enter the gender expansive space. We have the knowledge, the community of ambassadors, the education platform, and the consulting opportunity. But, we’re not the only one. It’s just important to understand that queer folx should be the ones teaching this. And, it’s important to get lots of voices in the conversation, not just cisgender voices. It’s also really important to buy and support LGBTQ+ owned brands…. Especially during Pride. But, for all of us to be successful, we need business year round. Consumers will see your commitment, your authenticity – and you will be successful over time.
