8 Transgender-Friendly Lingerie Brands to Support Instead of Victoria's Secret

From TomboyX to Chromat.

November 12, 2018

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On Friday, Victoria’s secret was out: The international retailer doesn’t support trans or plus-size people. Ed Razek, Victoria's Secret's chief marketing officer and executive vice president of public relations, admitted to Vogue that the brand intentionally doesn't feature trans or plus-size models on the runway at its signature event, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

“Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should,” Razek said. “Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.” It may be the fantasy of far-right conservatives that trans people don’t exist, especially after the Trump memo. However, in a country where nearly 3% of teens are trans or gender-nonconforming and the average woman is size 16/18, the fantasy is just that — unreal, unnecessary, and exclusionary.

Following a long silence on the clearly anti-trans and anti-plus-size statements, Razek clumsily walked back the comments: “To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We’ve had transgender models come to castings… and like many others, they didn’t make it…. But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”

In response to the company's continued refusal to cast trans or plus-size models, here are eight lingerie and undergarment brands you can support that actually embrace our communities.

Courtesy of Chromat
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Chromat
The beloved brand churns out swimsuits, activewear, and lingerie that caters to and celebrates body types outside of traditional beauty standards. Its groundbreaking Pool Rules campaign embraced curve models, models with disabilities, models with scars, and transgender models, to name a few. The Chromat runway show at NYFW regularly centers models of color, plus-size models, and queer and trans models. The collection runs from size XS to 4X.
Courtesy of TomboyX
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TomboyX
The brand launched in 2013 and quickly gained international prominence among queer and trans people. The gender-neutral line runs from XS to 4X and the pieces come in a variety of colors and nude tones.

Courtesy of RodeoH
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RodeoH
A staple for the queer and trans communities, RodeoH boasts gender-neutral sizing for its underwear and harnesses.
Courtesy of Rebirth Garments
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Rebirth Garments
Rebirth specializes in trans, genderqueer, and disability-specific needs in lingerie. The brand aims to challenge mainstream beauty standards through radical visibility. Sky Cubacub founded the company after not being able to buy a binder — and get this: Sizes can be customized.

Courtesy of Bluestockings Boutique
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Bluestockings Boutique
The Brooklyn-based LGBTQIA-centered lingerie boutique features plenty of plus-size and trans models on its website. Portions of the proceeds are donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Planned Parenthood, and Fenway Health, among others.
Courtesy of Origami Customs
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Origami Customs
The custom-fit slow-fashion retailer offers sizing from XXS to 5XL and specializes in gender-diverse undergarments. The lingerie is made from eco-friendly bamboo and swimwear from family-owned Canadian deadstock.

Courtesy of Curvy Kate
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Curvy Kate
The U.K.-based company focuses on 28-44/D-K cup sizes and recently featured trans, disabled, black, and plus-size models in its fearlessly diverse campaign.
Courtesy of Marco Marco
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Marco Marco
The international men’s underwear company made headlines by casting only transgender models in its NYFW show. “Although I have always had trans and nonbinary people in my shows, it became apparent to me that their presence was often overshadowed by cis gay men or cis gay men in drag,” designer Marco Morante explained to Mic. Hopefully we’ll see more designers like Morante step up to ensure that fashion can uplift trans people, the same group that made fashion what it is today.