In most retail spaces, there is a women’s section and a men’s section. But where do you go when neither feels right? Shopping for clothes can be a minefield for those who identify as non-binary, gender-fluid, trans, or any other identity outside of the binary. But these four brands are doing the work 365 days a year to ensure everyone can access fashion that fits their bodies and makes them feel safe and comfortable. Without further ado, here are our top 4 gender-affirming brands that dedicate their work to making equality indeed fashionable:
Kirrin Finch
“We went to the men’s section, and things didn’t fit, and the women’s section didn’t feel right either. Therefore, we created a company that creates menswear-inspired clothing for women, trans, and nonbinary folks,” Moffat told Teen Vogue. In 2015, lesbian couple Laura Moffat and Kelly Sanders Moffat started their clothing line, Kirrin Finch, with one goal: to make menswear-inspired clothes fit for a wide range of bodies. Growing up, both women dreaded shopping because they didn’t see their tomboy aesthetic reflected in clothes suited to their figures. Thus they decided to fix the problem themselves.
It wasn’t until their wedding in 2014 that the Brooklyn-based lovebirds truly felt comfortable in their clothing. Both brides wore custom suits on their special day. It sparked a transformation that was both physically and emotionally liberating. “We felt so amazing, and everybody kept saying, ‘You look great. You look so confident,’ and we couldn’t stop reminiscing on how we felt that day,” Moffat said. They wanted everyone to enjoy wearing suits made for their bodies, not just cis-men.
After their wedding, the duo didn’t hesitate to begin creating Kirrin Finch, named after two iconic tomboy characters from American literature, Scout Finch and George Kirrin.
Laura has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and Kelly was an elementary school teacher. So ironically, neither had any experience in fashion. But rather than winging it, they both decided to attend The Brooklyn Fashion Design Accelerator, where they received a “crash course” in manufacturing, sourcing, and merchandising.