LGBT+ Equality and schuh

Here at schuh, we’ve got a mission – a mission to foster self expression and style within an inclusive community. One such way that we’re vying to achieve this is through LGBT+ Equality and as part of celebrations for Pride 2024, we wanted to share with you what that means for us, what we’ve done so far, and what we’re continuing to do! 

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at LGBT+ equality at schuh.

The Mission

We love pride – it’s a massive part of our calendar and the perfect opportunity to celebrate the LGBT+ community but, so is every day, all year-round. Therefore, we’re committed to creating equal opportunities and inclusion for all. 

Our mission is to encourage and support everyone of all sexualities and gender identities to express themselves, celebrate, and explore their unique talents. 

While you’re here, why not checkout our stunning 2024 pride collection featuring styles from Converse, Dr. Martens, and Vans – you could even snag yourself some Love is Love Jibbitz!

The Journey

To date, some of our key achievements include: 

• Partnering with the Proud Trust for our nationwide Pride campaign signposting the LGBT+ community and allies to their services since 2020 – so far we have funded interventions for 944 young people via The Proud Trust’s digital support and youth group support services
• We’ve hosted Pride events in London, Brighton, and Manchester – and we’ll be doing this again in 2024 – more details to come…
• We’ve developed a community themed brand partnership with Converse
• We’ve published online resources and organised fun competitions for our teams to learn about and celebrate the LGBT+ community throughout the course of the entire year, not just during Pride
• We’ve sold more than 32,000 Pride charity tote bags, with all profits going directly to The Proud Trust. The next iteration of the Pride charity tote bag aims to fund 233 hours of support from The Proud Trust for LGBT+ young people. Two hours a week at one of The Proud Trust’s youth groups can give a young person a space to be their true self, without judgement, for the first time.
• Six of our schuh team members volunteered with The Proud Trust during Manchester Pride 2023, both at the parade and at The Proud Place, where workshops were taking place for LGBT+ young people. We’ll be back for Manchester Pride 2024!
• We’ve raised funds for The Proud Trust via an instore promotion in partnership with Birkenstock. This saw us donating £1 for every pair of Birkenstock sandals sold in our Manchester Market Street and London Tottenham Court Road stores in July 2023.

The Proud Trust x schuh

An LGBT+ Youth Charity, The Proud Trust’s goal is to empower young people to be proud of who they are. The organisation delivers youth work and one to one support across Greater Manchester alongside delivering national training and inclusion programmes. 

The Proud trust helps establish LGBT+ inclusive environments in schools and other children’s services by working with, and supporting adults who’re in trusted positions, as well as ‘improving confidence in tackling discrimination and tackling diversity.’ 

Here at schuh, we are proud to be able to say we’re a partner of The Proud Trust, helping provide support for young people who need it. 

Our next blog details your five pride festival essentials alongside key need to knows for the events in London, Brighton, and Manchester!