Florida State & The Seminole Tribe of Florida
When determining whether or not to use artwork depicting individuals or people groups, Homefield consults a 3-point criteria:
- The artwork must honor the person/people group and not perpetuate a stereotype.
- Any name associated with the depiction must not be derogatory.
- Ultimately, the person/people group in the artwork must approve of the depiction and associated verbiage.
Florida State - with primary athletic marks honoring the Seminole Tribe of Florida - is the first Homefield school that meets all the above criteria, as:
- The University’s marks honoring the Seminole Tribe of Florida do not perpetuate stereotypes. In fact, the partnership with FSU is valued by the Tribe as a way to showcase its remarkable heritage and culture with those unfamiliar with the Tribe’s rich Florida history.
- The associated language with the artwork - the words “Unconquered” and “Seminoles” - are out of reverence to the only Native American Tribe never conquered by the U.S. Government.
- The Seminole Tribe of Florida has approved all verbiage and depictions used by the University and its licensees.
Thus, in this launch there are products with Seminole imagery and verbiage , and we wanted to pull back the curtain on our decision-making process. In our goal to be the most thoughtful and people-centered college apparel brand, it is paramount to us to honor all people. Given that Florida State satisfies all 3 of the above criteria, we decided to implement artwork that honors the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and hope we can help tell their story through our apparel.
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