Hello from the new guy!

 

My name is J.T. Centonze and as of the new year, I am the new owner of Versatta Kilts. To some of you, my name or face will be familiar, as I have been vending Versatta Kilts up and down the west coast (and in Hawaii) for over a decade now. If you have bought a Versatta or Verillas kilt in person at a renaissance faire or Scottish games in California, Oregon, Washington State, or Hawaii in the last decade, odds are very good you have already met me, and are familiar with my other company, Off Kilter Kilts.

 

In my capacity as a kilt reseller, I have developed a longstanding relationship with both Verillas and Alice. In fact, I am Versatta's biggest customer and have been for years. I have purchased more Versatta kilts than anyone else on the planet. The quality and integrity of the brand is of utmost importance to me, and I am unwilling to make sacrifices on either point. This is why I purchased Versatta: I specifically wanted to make sure that the brand would retain its reputation.

 

To augment that reputation, I bring with me my background as a successful small business owner and my expertise as an accountant, not to mention the gravitas that going grey at a very early age has lent me. I intend to streamline the customer experience, and to grow the brand in new and exciting areas. Please do stay tuned in to our various socials (we’ll start posting on Bluesky soon, I swear!) as well as our website, as I will be doing my best to keep you informed about changes as we make them.

 

I recognize the optics of a company like Versatta moving from the hands of a youthful trans woman to someone who looks like he’s permanently doing a Doc Brown cosplay. I promise, Alice and I are only a couple years apart. Further, as a cishet White man I am aware of the privilege afforded me as I move through the world, and the blind spots I have as a result of said privilege. This is why I intend to keep marginalized voices in close proximity to me, so that this company can continue to serve the communities that have come to rely on it.

 

Alice will continue to be involved with Versatta, in ways which suit her talents and her interests. I am grateful to her for the work she has done and the brand she created, and to her team in Virginia for all their work making the brand what it is and especially for the work they did in helping with the transfer. Versatta will now be headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA, right next door to one of the largest garment districts in the world, which I hope will enable Versatta to go in some very fun new directions.

 

I am looking forward to exploring what we can do with Versatta, and I promise not to let go of what already makes the brand so special now. I never imagined when I started selling kilts that I would someday helm a company like Versatta. Thank you for being supporters of this wonderful brand, and

 

I hope you’ll join me as Versatta enters this new chapter.

 

A hearty thank you from The Big Guy In The Kilt,

 

J.T. Centonze