Model: Sanetra Longno / Photographer: Collin Sansom
In light of the death of George Floyd and the conversations about race that followed, a Fort Worth fashion company is rebranding in an effort to avoid misleading stereotypes that could be associated with its former name.
Tribe Alive — which has long built its brand on ethical practices like sustainable manufacturing, employing women artisans in developing countries, and paying them fair wages — is now LAUDE the Label. “Laude,” pronounced “lawd,” is a Latin word meaning “honor.”
According to founder and CEO Carly Burson, the name is a better reflection of the brand’s mission. In a statement from LAUDE the Label, the killing of George Floyd last May prompted the brand to take “a long hard look at how we as a company (and as individuals) have benefited from structural racism and intentional inequality — recognizing that as a social enterprise driven by a high standard of ethics, we had an obligation to go beyond hashtags and quotes and commit to an agenda that would advance racial equity in meaningful ways.”
Changing the brand’s name was the first step, due to negative connotations that could be associated with the word “tribe”: “For some, it’s just a word, but for others our adoption of the word, used in the context of Native American Tribes, amounts to cultural appropriation and is insensitive to the centuries of injustices suffered by Indigenous people. We came to learn that the word ‘Tribe’ is a colonial construct that was used to marginalize Native Americans and its continued use by non-Indigenous People fails to accurately recognize their history and unique status as Tribal Nations.”
According to LAUDE the Label, the word “tribe” in Tribe Alive was originally meant to represent community. However, “We understand that the term has no consistent meaning and carries misleading historical and identity assumptions blocking accurate views of many cultural realities. We now deeply understand how the use of the word ‘tribe’ can promote misleading stereotypes and, because of this, have made the hard but necessary decision to change our name.”
Now, as LAUDE the Label, the company hopes the new name will better “represent, honor, and praise at the highest possible level for all that come in contact with our brand. It means that we honor the earth, we honor the maker, and we honor our community that walks alongside us to make our mission possible.”
LAUDE the Label has a brick and mortar at 126 S. Main St., Ste. 100, that’s temporarily closed due to COVID-19. However, the brand continues sales online and has launched a new website, laudethelabel.com.
