In collaboration with Australian fashion editor and Queer activist, Deni Todorovic, accessories label Casetify has launched its first-ever non-binary range of phone cases.
Launched in time for Mardi Gras, the phone cases form part of the business' ongoing initiative Casetify Cares, which saw the collection debut in partnership with youth-focused LGBTQIA+ organisation, Wear It Purple.
Throughout March, Casetify will donate 100% of net proceeds from the range to Wear It Purple, helping it continue its work supporting rainbow young people.
According to data from LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (Feb 2020), LGBTQIA+ young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide in their lifetime, while transgender people aged 18 and over are nearly eleven times more likely.
Further, six in 10 LGBTQIA+ people have experienced verbal homophobic abuse, while 47% of trans-men and 37% of trans-women have experienced verbal abuse, data from the Australian Human Rights Commission (2014) indicates.
The Casetify range, designed in partnership with Todorovic, aims to normalise non-binary and transgender identities, Todorovic said.
"This campaign is incredibly important to me as it aims to inform and inspire people to be more confident about their own identities, and for allies to be more aware and respectful of identity and pronouns.
"Misgendering happens way too often and can seriously impact our identities in a really traumatic way.
"So by all of us being more vocal and normalising the practice of being very upfront and open about our pronouns and the way we identify, we’ll create a safer and more free environment for non-binary and trans people to exist in," they said.
The colours represented in the designs make up the non-binary pride flag, featuring purple, yellow, black and white hues.
The yellow stripe represents people whose gender exists outside of the binary, the white stripe, for people with many or all genders, the purple for people with genders considered a mix of male and female, and the black stripe is for people who identify as not having a gender.
As well as the non-binary flag, the transgender flag colours of pink, white and blue are also represented throughout the designs, which include the ‘they/them’, ‘she/her’ and ‘he/him’ pronouns.
Casetify CEO Wes Ng welcomed the launch of the range.
"Creating a safe space for self-expression and inclusivity is at the heart of Casetify.
"We’re excited to welcome Deni to our artist platform, and we hope this collection inspires our community to exercise their creative freedom," he said.
The non-binary cases are available online now and retail from $69.