Introducing Phluid: an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group dedicated to waking up the fashion industry to become a more inclusive experience for all by challenging dated traditions that suppress self-expression. The collective looks to improve humanity through not only fashion, but also community outreach, activism, and education.

Our Impact Together:

- Urban Outfitters is founding member founding member of the GET Phluid Collective! Through this partnership, Urban Outfitters will be part of a group of companies dedicated to expansion & leadership in the LGBTQIA+ space. The collective will provide resources, topic experts, and guidance as UO looks to expand our offerings to our community of customers, as well as support our internal community.

- The Phluid team hosts ongoing digital LGBTQIA+ Literacy Foundations Gender Expansive Trainings to cover topics such as trans and non-binary terminology, allyship 101, rethinking binary gender norms, and more.

- UO also partners with the Phluid Project for gender expansive product collections, starting with their gender expansive fragrance and other inclusive accessories advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community.

We sat down with Phluid Project founder, Rob Smith, for an exclusive interview on inclusivity in the fashion world and the new collection of gender neutral fragrances designed by the Phluid Project now available at UO.

How was Phluid born?

Phluid was born by merging my 30 year retail experience with my passion for social justice, specifically among LGBTQ+ youth and creating the world’s first gender free store. The brand mission statement is to challenge boundaries between humanity and values and leading with values. It’s a heretically inclusive brand regardless of your gender, body size, race, your ability, your age, your ethnicity. There’s a place for everyone at Phluid.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Phluid.

I am the CEO and founder of Phluid which includes The Phluid Project, Get Phluid, and The Phluid Foundation. The Phluid Project is a gender-free fashion brand with apparel, accessories and scents with additional categories coming soon. Get Phluid is gender expansive training and the Phluid Foundation is a 501C3 organization that we created to fund grassroots advocacy groups across the country who are doing the work to support BIPOC trans and homeless youth individuals – both of which are the most at risk in our queer community.

How did the partnership between Phluid and Urban Outfitters begin?

Our relationship with Urban started a couple of years ago, speaking with leadership about how to create a more gender inclusive experience in retail and amongst the larger organization. The relationship is still in its infancy but we’re working on gender expansive training for the broader company and look forward to working more closely with leadership to find ways that we can create a more inclusive space for all the URBN Brands.

What excites you most about this partnership?

We’re hopeful that this is the beginning of a very long and healthy relationship between both Phluid and the Urban Outfitters community to make the experience for young people shopping in-store and online a safe and affirming experience from every angle in an authentic and intentional way.

Tell us more about the fragrance collection - and why having gender inclusive apparel and accessories is so important.

This is important because so much of retail historically has been gendered - the men’s floor, the women’s floor, skin care, etc. Now more than ever, there are folks who identify as non-binary or gender non-confirming and should not feel locked into societal expectations of who they are and how they’re supposed to express themselves. It’s exciting for The Phluid Project to offer an all gender inclusive scent collection because it creates a more open and accepting consumer experience and unlocks the door to conversations about “all gender” or a gender inclusive, gender free categories for shopping in-store as well as online.

What’s next for the Phluid project?

Lots! We continue to find more and more collaborations with partners that we respect and continue to grow our footprint. We’re launching a partnership with a retailer in Europe next season and will be expanding into different product categories. The Phluid Foundation will continue to grow as well. In the coming years, my goals are to launch the foundation globally and raise over a million dollars to continue supporting our grass roots organizations.

Where can our community learn more about Phluid’s mission and get involved with the collective?

You can always visit The Phluid Project’s website and find additional resources to shop and learn more about our mission. You can also follow our journey on our social platforms. By doing so, we hope that we can inspire you to continue your journey towards inclusivity. We love interacting with our community and seeing the small steps you are taking to live authentically.