Aimed at broadening access to the climbing, yoga, and fitness worlds, the Inclusivity pledge will see 3RD ROCK fund introductory climbing sessions for Black climbers, expand the product range to larger and smaller sizes, and replace binary gender choices with ‘style’ choices and more unisex clothing.
OUR INCLUSIVITY PLEDGE
WHY INTRODUCE THE PLEDGE?
“At 3RD ROCK we want everyone to feel comfortable, regardless of skin colour, body shape, gender (or any other factor!). As a relatively small family-run brand, we are proud to make the important changes outlined in our Inclusivity pledge. These may be small steps, but collectively the industry has the power to make a huge change, and we hope others follow our lead.”
Jessica & Guy Mor, Founders at 3RD ROCK
2020 has been challenging in many ways. Reality hit hard and shook a few things at 3RD ROCK. The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic highlighted inequalities in society, while the Black Lives Matter movement came to the fore. The team took time to reflect, then pledged to make a change. Addressing long-standing issues of accessibility and representation, the 3RD ROCK Inclusivity pledge covers three areas:
1. INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY FOR BLACK CLIMBERS AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR
We are excited to announce the launch of a new program ClimbUnity - our non-proft inititive, which will fund a series of free climbing coaching sessions for people of colour, providing an introduction to climbing, bouldering and the climbing community. Work is under way to partner with more people of colour in every aspect of the brand, from photography, content creation and design, and any images used will include more people of colour.
2. INCREASING REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSE BODY TYPES
Starting with our Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, we are proud to say that we will be phasing in a wider range of sizes. Traditionally, the climbing market caters for sizes between S-M for women and M-L for men. We recognise that this contributes to a vicious cycle, sending the wrong message to individuals who wear sizes that aren’t offered. Over the coming collections you will see our size range broaden to be more inclusive to every body.
3. A MORE INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO GENDER
Our newsletter used to ask you to choose your gender. We have listened to feedback from our customers, and we will no longer ask you to make a binary gender choice. Instead, we will ask you for your 'style' preference, and you can choose as many as you like! We will be designing more unisex items, so you can choose how you define your choice of wardrobe.
