YOU ARE LOVED. BY WILD TEA KOMBUCHA.
At its core, Pride is a universal celebration of love and resilience, and this year will be no different. We are proud to be an official partner of Calgary Pride 2021, as well as to have the opportunity to work with so many incredible organizations, retailers, and individuals that work to make our community a more safe and inclusive space not only during Pride but each and every single day. Spread the love!
LOVED. + WILD TEA KOMBUCHA
For the third year in a row, we are so excited to announce that we have partnered with the one and only Ryan Massel - A.K.A. Mr. Fabulous - to share the love with all of our #WTKfans out there this Pride season as part of the 2021 LOVED. collection.
The LOVED. Collection was created by Ryan as a labour of love (literally) following a perspective-altering experience at the 2018 Pride Festival in Nashville, TN.
“In 2018 on a trip to Nashville, I unexpectedly found myself visiting during their annual pride celebration. After participating in the city’s Pride March, which saw thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies come together and march through the streets, I headed to the festival in the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park to continue the exciting and colourful day. As I arrived at the festival’s entrance I was greeted by a mob of aggressive protestors who held a wall of signs, with intentions to hurt and disrupt thousands during the joyous occasion. But there, amidst the chaos, was one person who stood quietly and protectively in front of them all with a small sign of their own that read:
“You are valid and loved.”
Through the storm of hate, this was the sign I saw; and it was the only sign I felt that day. Sometimes the world can feel like a dark place, but with words, spirits can be lifted and hearts can be filled. One person chose to wake up that morning, to share their heart in hopes others would feel LOVED. and with that bit of kindness, a ripple was formed that has now become a wave. Three years ago, I created The LOVED. Collection, an evolving collection that collaborates with brands, businesses and companies to create a limited-edition capsule collection to honour the stories, people and moments from our past and celebrate the successes and achievements the LGBTQ community has made towards equality. With each collection, generous donations are made to a wide variety of groups who make it a daily mission to support and love the LGBTQ community.”
Using his platform and rapport with local brands in Alberta, Ryan developed a curated collection of local goods that were inspired by his mission, and the LOVED Collection was born to help support LGBTQ+ organizations that spread love and support 365 days a year. This year for the LOVED. collection, we got together with Mr. Fab & collaborated on the beautiful Ruby Slipper-inspired packaging! “Are you a Friend of Dorothy?” In the 1940s, this was a coded question in the LGBT community to help identify safe spaces and discuss sexuality without others knowing. While many people around the world are still not free to openly identify - Ruby Slipper has been created to acknowledge continued progress.
Pre-sale for the LOVED. kombucha, Ruby Slipper, is live as of right now, 100% of the profits will be donated to the Skipping Stone Foundation.
Locations
Back by popular demand, Ruby Slipper (Pink Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorn, and “Unicorn dust”) is available exclusively in 355mL cans on the WTK & Friends Online Store or in the wild at the following locations:
Skipping Stone, headquartered in Calgary, provides free services including mentoring, gender gear, expression skills, transportation, food and income support, work, legal help, counselling and more to trans and gender-diverse persons. To learn more about Skipping Stone, please visit https://www.skippingstone.ca/.
The 2021 Calgary Pride Festival will take place from August 16-September 6, 2021. For more details on how you can get involved, as well as a full schedule of events and initiatives, please visit the official Calgary Pride website.
To find out more about Ryan or the 2021 LOVED. collection, visit immrfabulous.com
or @immrfabulous on Instagram.