PRIDE LAUNCH: CREATORS FOR A CAUSE

June 8, 2022

Creators for a Cause is an internal product series that showcases the Company’s pride of creation culture and highlights the incredible design talents of our colleagues. Creators within Centric Brands design limited edition products available for purchase exclusively by Centric colleagues. 100% of the proceeds are donated to a non-profit chosen by the designer each month.

In honor of Pride Month, we are excited to introduce our next resident artist: Jeremy Kalteux, Associate Designer, Soft Accessories. Jeremy designed a tote bag inspired by the Say Gay Movement, a campaign created to protect LGBTQIA+ students in response to recent legislation introduced to silence discussions around queer and gender identity topics in the classroom. All proceeds from the tote bag will be donated to the It Gets Better Project.

We interviewed Jeremy to learn more about the inspiration behind his design.

What was your inspiration behind the design?

Earlier this year an anti-LGBTQ+ bill, dubbed the “ Don’t Say Gay Bill,” was introduced in Florida that would silence the discussion of queer and gender identity topics in the classroom.  The “Say Gay Movement” was created in direct opposition of this legislation to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students. Similar legislation has been introduced in Georgia, my home state, and many other states across the country. To play my part in standing up for what I believe is right, I wanted to share the ‘Say Gay” story on the tote.

What does supporting causes mean to you?

Supporting causes like this one is very important to me. I think as a proud member of the queer community, it is my responsibility to help uplift the community in whatever way I can. I am very honored to participate in the “Creators for a Cause” campaign. I believe representation is at the center of progress and having Centric Brands support a cause like this means the world to me.

What does the cause  – It Gets Better – benefitting from the product mean to you?

When I was given the chance to select which organization to support, I immediately choose It Gets Better. This organization helps uplift and encourage queer youth around the world; Including the queer youth that would be directly affected by this legislation. By having this organization benefit from this product, I feel as though I am getting the opportunity to help my younger self that was sitting in a Georgia classroom.