The photo sparked horror among Verillas employees.
It was a picture that showed members of the Proud Boys, designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal advocacy organization, wearing black and yellow kilts designed by the clothing company.
Justin LaRose, the brand’s vice president, said he feared the LGBTQ-owned company’s clothes were being co-opted by a group whose message Verillas is “directly against.”
Verillas responded to the photo on Twitter. The company said it was “disgusted” to see the Proud Boys wearing its clothes during a rally against the 2020 presidential election results last weekend in Washington, D.C.. It also pledged to donate $1,000 to the NAACP after seeing about $750 worth of its merchandise in the photo.
“We’re against everything they stand for,” Verillas said about the Proud Boys in a tweet.
What followed was an outpouring of support.
LaRose said he originally feared Verillas – a small Virginia-based company with 10 people that’s been around since 2014 – wouldn’t have the voice or the reach to stop the Proud Boys from “getting the first say” about their clothes.
“Almost immediately, like within an hour, people were behind us and they were amplifying our message because they recognized how small we are and how little power and how little say we had in the situation to begin with,” LaRose told USA TODAY on Wednesday.
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He added, “It was relieving, it was empowering and it felt amazing.”
Kilts on Verillas range in price from about $45 for a half kilt to roughly $500. The brand has several LGBTQ+ Pride designs, too. Other things for sale include hoodies, boots, a tunic and fairy wings.
“We want as open and inclusive as possible about fashion,” La Rose said, adding “We want to represent all forms of the human body in an amazing and flattering way and we want to be as inclusive as possible for anybody who identifies any which way they please.”
Another clothing company has already denounced the Proud Boys. Members frequently wear black and yellow Fred Perry polo shirts, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In September, the brand released a statement saying it “does not support and is in no way affiliated with the Proud Boys.”
Verillas’ owner Allister Greenbrier told the BBC that Verillas has removed the yellow and black kilt design from its website.
Who are the Proud Boys? Far-right group has concerned experts for years
“I can’t control who buys my product, but if they’re buying our product, they’re putting their money towards a good cause and I think they won’t be too happy when they find out they accidentally bought from a company that’s really fighting for the opposite of what they believe in,” Greenbrier told the BBC.
Verillas is thankful for the support, LaRose said.
“What we’re working on now is, now that we have this support and we have this voice, how to use it in the right way,” he said. “We just hope we have some time and can do some good.”
The Proud Boys gained notoriety during the presidential election. President Donald Trump, when asked to denounce white supremacists during the first debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, members of the Proud Boys “have been known to engage in violent tactics; several members have been convicted of violent crimes.“
