Valentine’s Day cards can sometimes be pretty ‘straight’ forward but this year, a new collection of cards is venturing away from tradition to fill what some say is a gap in the market.
London Drugs has launched “Cards For All,” a line of inclusive Valentine’s cards designed by Canadian illustrators that reflect all types of love and all kinds of relationships.
“Valentine’s Day cards don’t always fully capture relationship diversity and the diversity of love,” said Clint Mahlman, president and COO of London Drugs.
The cards offer more ways for couples and Valentine’s Day enthusiasts to share love, whether they’re gay, transgender or identify anywhere else on the LGBTQ spectrum.
“We are proud to have worked with illustrators to help bring ‘Cards For All’ to life, filling in some of the gaps that exist in the card aisle today,” Mahlman said.
Some of the artists have a direct connection to the community they designed the card for. Illustrator Izzy Gibson from Vancouver has been openly bisexual since her teens and was happy to be part of the initiative.
“It’s important to embrace love. That was my inspiration for the card. There’s always more room in the world for more kindness,” Gibson said.
In the “Cards For All” collection, shoppers will find cars for common-law relationships, platonic friendships and even exes.
Other languages have also been included, like Mandarin, Punjabi and Braille.
“Everyone deserves to share and receive love,” Mahlman said.
“Valentine’s Day needs to be more inclusive and so we are excited to bring this first-ever ‘Cards For All’ initiative to our customers at select locations. We hope our customers love the cards as much as we do, and we’ll expand it to many more stores next year.”
The “Cards For All” collection can be found at 20 London Drugs stores across Western Canada.
All cards retail at $5 with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to United Way.