You’ve most likely heard that Victoria’s Secret, a once very popular chain store that is currently less popular — Editor’s note: According to Cora Harrington, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lingerie Addict, “Victoria’s Secret still has plenty of market share, they still have plenty of stores. Just because they shrunk a little bit, doesn’t mean they’re about vanish… There’s a long way to go before they’re not relevant to the US bra market anymore.” — is having some PR trouble.
Earlier this year, Ed Razek, a senior executive at Victoria’s Secret, said he didn’t think “transsexuals” should be allowed in Victoria’s Secret’s annual fashion show because the event is “a fantasy,” Pink News reported.
And then, on December 14, Today.com reported that “Victoria’s Secret model Kelly Gale took a break from her typical workout routine… and headed to an In-N-Out Burger in Monterey, California.”
While at the fast food restaurant, Gale “snacked on a pear and exercised in front of the fast food eatery instead” of going inside and eating. The video appeared in one of the model’s Instagram stories. E! recorded the story.
Gale was trying to drive home to the fact she doesn’t eat at the fast food establishment. “‘Who else works out at In-N-Out?’ Gale captioned another short video,” Today.com reported, “before posting another with: ‘Not gonna pretend that I eat here guys cause I don’t.’”
Shaming related to size and food choices? Rampant sexism and heterosexism? All this news inspired us to compile a list of three lingerie brands that are LGBTQ- and size-inclusive.
According to Teen Vogue, Origami Customs is a “custom-fit slow-fashion retailer.” The Montreal-based brand’s creators construct its lingerie from eco-friendly bamboo. The company sells size-inclusive items (from XXS to 5XL) and its undergarments, which include packing harnesses, play harnesses, binders, bodysuits, and more, are “gender-diverse.” The brand also sells custom swimwear made from “family-owned Canadian headstock.”
“My main goal for this year may seem counterintuitive from a designer: I want to make less money,” Rachel Hill, Origami Customs’ owner, and designer, said to Autostraddle.
“The process of designing and creating an outfit with each customer is inherently intimate, and I get boundless satisfaction from seeing how an item of clothing can affirm someone’s self-love or gender expression,” Hill added.
Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez founded TomboyX in 2013 to “fill a need that had gone unfulfilled for far too long,” the brand’s site states.
The real-life partners started their company by launching a Kickstarter campaign, The Huffington Post reported.
The company owners have successfully built a business that sells “good underwear” that fits “regular bodies.” The brand carries a wide range of items in various body-positive styles and sizing (XS-4X).
According to Teen Vogue, TomboyX has an “international prominence among queer and trans people.”
Sky Cubacub is the founder of Rebirth Garments. The gender queer, person of color designer creates and makes the brand’s items by hand. The company’s “mission is to create gender non-conforming wearables and accessories for people on the full spectrum of gender, size, and ability,” Rebirth Garments’ site states.
“The line creates a community where all people can confidently express their individuality and identity.”
According to Teen Vogue, all of Rebirth Garment’s sizes are customizable.
“Rebirth Garments challenges mainstream beauty standards that are sizeist, ableist, and conform to the gender binary,” Cubacub told Nylon.
“Instead, we maintain the notion of Radical Visibility, a movement based on claiming our bodies and, through the use of bright colors, exuberant fabrics, and innovative designs, highlighting the parts of us that society typically shuns.”
—
Abbie Stutzer is a writer and editor from Lawrence, Kansas. Find her on Twitter at @abbiestutzer and on Insta at @abbiestutzer. Email her at abbie@ynotcam.com.
Header images via (l-r) Origami Customs, TomboyX and Rebirth Garments.
