The Phluid Project

What The Phluid Project does

The Phluid Project is a privately held, queer-owned apparel retailer founded in 2018 by Rob Smith and headquartered in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform at thephluidproject.com and a physical retail store in Lower Manhattan that also functions as a community gathering space with a coffee shop and panel programming. Its core product line is gender-neutral apparel and accessories — including t-shirts ($25), hoodies ($49), crewnecks ($45), hats and beanies ($25–$30), and gift cards — offered in inclusive size ranges from XS to 5XL and featuring activism-driven designs such as Marsha P. Johnson tributes, Pride messaging, and immigration support statements. The catalog currently comprises 77 items, with the company expanding its product range with multiple new SKU launches in 2024 and 2025.

The business operates a one-time transaction revenue model with no subscription component for retail customers, supplemented by a separate corporate education line through GET Phluid and a fragrance distribution partnership with Scentbird. Two affiliated entities extend the brand's reach: The Phluid Phoundation, a nonprofit that has raised over $1 million for grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations, and GET Phluid, an educational arm offering corporate LGBTQ+ market and talent advisory services. The company is NGLCC certified as an LGBT Business Enterprise, has received press coverage in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and them., and distributes internationally through its Shopify-based storefront. No proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, or institutional funding have been disclosed; the company raised approximately $113,535 in a 2019 funding round and operates with 1–10 employees.

The go-to-market approach is primarily organic social media driven (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook), earned PR, and community-driven ambassador programs. Distribution is exclusively direct, with no wholesale or third-party retailer relationships beyond the minor Scentbird marketplace channel. Customer concentration is broadly diffuse across individual LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming consumers, with a secondary B2B segment served through GET Phluid, though no enterprise customer logos are disclosed.

Name

The Phluid Project

Legal name

The Phluid Project

Website

https://thephluidproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Phluid Project is a queer-owned, direct-to-consumer apparel retailer founded in 2018 that designs and sells gender-neutral t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, and accessories through its e-commerce site and SoHo, Manhattan flagship, serving LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming consumers with activism-driven statement apparel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender-Neutral Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Modest & Religious Apparel Retail (CRAAABAK)

Keywords

• Gender neutral apparel
• Queer owned fashion
• Inclusive streetwear
• Lgbtq clothing brand
• Gender free clothing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Apparel Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of gender-neutral apparel and accessories through their owned e-commerce platform. Products include t-shirts ($25), hoodies ($49), crewnecks ($45), hats and beanies ($25-$30), and gift cards. Revenue is generated through one-time product transactions with no recurring subscription component for retail customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Phluid Project operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (thephluidproject.com) selling gender-neutral apparel and accessories including t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, hats, beanies, and gift cards. The brand is complemented by a physical retail store in SoHo, Manhattan, and an educational arm (GET Phluid) that provides corporate LGBTQ+ inclusion training and consulting.

Product overview

The Phluid Project is a Queer-owned gender-neutral fashion brand founded in 2018 by Rob Smith in Lower Manhattan. The company operates as a single unified e-commerce platform offering gender-free clothing and accessories, with products spanning t-shirts, hoodies & sweatshirts, and hats & beanies across 77+ items. The product portfolio includes statement pieces featuring LGBTQ+ advocacy messages, civil rights themes, and inclusive messaging. The company has raised over $1,000,000 through The Phluid Phoundation to support at-risk LGBTQ+ community members. The business also operates GET Phluid, an educational arm providing corporate education and strategic advising on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The company is NGLCC (National LGBT Chamber of Commerce) certified and LGBTBE Certified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gender-Neutral T-Shirts
• Gender-Neutral Hoodies & Sweatshirts
• Hats & Beanies
• Gift Cards
• GET Phluid

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 million raised for LGBTQ+ community support
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ScentbirdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScentbird serves as a marketplace channel for The Phluid Project's fragrance/scent products. This is a product distribution partnership rather than a deep strategic alliance, allowing the brand to offer a broader product range without maintaining its own fragrance inventory.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wildfang: Portland-based gender-free apparel brand directly competing with Phluid in the queer-owned, gender-neutral apparel niche with overlapping product categories and similar community-driven positioning.
• TomboyX: Gender-inclusive apparel and underwear brand serving LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming consumers with a similar mission-driven, queer-owned retail model.
• Kirrin Finch: Androgynous menswear-inspired apparel brand for women and nonbinary customers, competing in the same gender-neutral specialty apparel category with comparable size inclusivity messaging.

Emerging players

• Modibodi: Gender-inclusive apparel and leak-proof underwear brand with overlapping LGBTQ+ customer base, though more focused on period/leak-proof garments than statement apparel.
• Play Out: Queer-owned gender-neutral underwear and apparel brand with similar activist positioning and smaller scale, competing for the same community-driven consumer segment.
• Boody: Sustainable bamboo basics apparel brand with comparable gender-neutral basics offering (tees, hoodies, undergarments) and similar DTC-first retail approach.

Broad incumbents

• ASOS: Large global online fashion retailer that has launched gender-neutral collections, competing broadly in the apparel space and threatening niche players through scale and assortment.
• Everlane: Direct-to-consumer basics apparel brand with overlapping product categories (tees, hoodies, sweatshirts) and similar DTC distribution model, though without the queer-owned positioning.
• Bonobos: Established menswear apparel brand that has expanded into more inclusive sizing and fits, competing for adjacent basics and casual apparel share through a multi-channel retail model.
• American Apparel: Iconic basics apparel brand with overlapping unisex basics product offering, currently retailing online and providing competitive alternatives in the casual apparel segment Phluid serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thephluidproject
• Instagraminstagram.com/thephluidproject
• TikToktiktok.com/phluidproject
• Xx.com/phluidproject

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Phluid Project