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On Wednesday 17th August, we attended the ACON HONOUR AWARDS that was held at The Ivy Ballroom in Sydney. It was an eventful evening with attendances from many of NSW’s proud LGBTQI finalists across 10 categories. There were business owners, medical researchers and professionals, media personalities, artists and performers celebrating their hard work who have been supporting and empowering the community over the past 12 months.
HONOUR Award is an annual event presented by ACON NSW, a not for profit health organisation which also raises funds for the community supporting health and well being. ACON is doing great work, take for example their campaign for Monkeypox (MPX) to educate the public and be the platform with the most accurate information so people can rest assured that they are in capable hands.
2022 marks a comeback since 2019 when the award ceremony was cancelled due to Covid.
Over 250 nominations were received across 10 categories but only 4 finalists were selected for each category. Stanley Burton was one of 4 finalists in the Business Award. Although we didn’t win, it was a very proud moment when our names were announced during the awards ceremony. We were accompanied by several friends who were there to support us.
The business award’s winner is Sock Draw Heroes, a trans business that supports and empowers gender fluid people. Congrats!
This column reads
Stanley Burton is more than just another underwear store, we are the first Australian LGBTQI underwear retailer to proactively empower cultural diversity, age inclusion and body positivity. We set ourselves apart by embracing everyone’s differences without presenting a stereotypical body and identity that excludes people in the LGBTQI community.
We offer opportunities for the underrepresented people to have visibility through various content driven platforms. Stanley Burton is owned and managed by two Asians - Burton is a hair, makeup and beauty specialist with over 15 years experience in the fashion, beauty, film and education industry.
Ed is a commercial photographer and content strategist who has years of mentoring experiences for Melbourne University, providing guidance for Arts graduates to see their full potential. Change is progress and it needs to be done with authenticity and sensitivity. We are connecting real people, starting conversations and strengthening allies, because we cannot do this alone.
(left) Ed (right) Burton at the media wall at ACON HONOUR AWARDS at The Ivy Ballroom in Sydney
We would like to thank ACON and Sydney Lesbian and Gay Business Association (SLGBA) for selecting Stanley Burton as one of 4 finalists. Being the only business founded by people of colour is a great indication that the community is embracing cultural diversity and it is great to see our hard work being recognised. We will continue to make the marginalised community be seen and let their voices heard. It is important for everyone in the community to have visibility and authentic representation not only on social media and advertising but also conversations, decisions, ideas and a seat at the table.
I think it is important that the people know we are driven by the community and not for the sake of getting more underwear orders, given the history of tokenism in the fashion industry in our community and also across the globe. At Stanley Burton, we are here to make progress, produce change and ask people to back our support as well as share our knowledge among friends who think there is still time to save the future. We are also the first to have authentic dialogues and real representation of Asian community, age inclusion and body image empowerment.
We also donated 12 months of underwear to the silent auction for the night which raise funds for programs and services delivered by ACON, with all proceeds going back to the community, supporting initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people.
