The fashion industry as a whole reinforces gender norms in many ways, but there is one that each of us encounters daily: gendered sizes and styles. A faceless entity decides what a man or woman should look like, and if you don’t fit any mold or identify with any of the labels, it’s your problem. Fortunately, there is a growing segment that offers tools to opt out of this binary.
Gender-neutral clothing brands offer a wider range of fits and styles than you might find at a traditional company. These companies make clothing for queer, non-binary, and trans bodies of all shapes and sizes. I’ve tested and worn dozens and narrowed down my favorites below.
Each item of clothing on this list links to its manufacturer as well as other retailers who carry these items of clothing. On some third-party retailer websites, the items we’ve highlighted are placed in gender-neutral clothing sections, which is disappointing given that it’s 2024 and these items are explicitly gender-neutral. I’m just warning you so you won’t be surprised to see the gender-neutral underwear I recommended being listed as “for women” on Amazon.
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Both&
Both& offers a wide assortment of tops and bottoms based on a sizing system the company independently developed. Rather than using existing sizing frameworks, Both& developed its signature length-to-width ratio by polling its community, asking people what they liked and didn’t like about the way clothing was sized. traditional ones adapted to their bodies.
The result is best seen in his signature t-shirts. Not only are they made from thick, durable cotton, but they also cling to your body in a way that creates a silhouette that pops out of the shapes that gendered clothing often reinforces. The Khazeel T-shirt, for example, hangs in such a way that it easily conceals the presence of a binder, while the drop-shoulder silhouette hangs from the body rather than skimming it.
Tomboy
I’ve been wearing TomboyX for years now and can’t stop singing its praises. With everything from shorts, briefs and thongs to bras and outerwear, I’ve never had a TomboyX item of clothing that disappointed. Underwear can be tricky for queer and trans people for a number of reasons, but TomboyX offers a wide variety of fits and cuts, with sizes up to 6X.
I’m a big fan of bikini briefs and boy shorts for everyday wear, as well as 9-inch shorts for wearing around the house or under skirts. The bra selection is also one of my favorites out of all the companies on this list. TomboyX offers traditional number and letter sizes on some of its bras, but offers standard sizes from S to 4X on other bras. If you’re having trouble finding a bra that fits you, I can’t recommend the all-day bralette enough. It offers support and breathability and fits perfectly under any top.
Tomboy
Hailing from my hometown of Portland, Oregon, Wildfang has been a mainstay in the gender-neutral fashion scene for years. Its founders sought to free themselves from gender norms and offer clothing that could be feminine, masculine, neither, or all at once.
With inclusive sizing up to 4X on some garments (unfortunately, some exceed 3X) and including high waists, it’s pretty easy to find items that will fit your body, regardless of your body shape or gender . Some pants tend to have a higher inseam than you might expect, even in larger sizes, so you may need to size up depending on your proportions or size large.
I’m a big fan of the high waisted jumpsuit. Not only can you wear a flight suit like an astronaut or space miner, but it’s fashionable, available in a variety of bright colors, and so well-fitted that you’ll want to wear it all the time, even if it’s too much. warm up by wearing a full body suit.
Another pillar of my wardrobe (and that of my partner) is the essential short button-up. As a simple outer layer, it can turn a sports bra and pants into one outfitand the fit clings to your body rather than constricting or making a circus like traditionally sized men’s button-down shirts can.
Thistle and arrow
I have historically had a complicated relationship with lingerie. While it fits my bust, it doesn’t fit my shoulders; if it fits my waist, it doesn’t fit my butt, and so on. I could write a thesis on the lingerie brands that failed me. Instead, I want to highlight my new favorite: Thistle and Spire. If you’re active in online sex worker communities (OnlyFans, Fansly, etc.), you’ve seen some of these clothes, for good reason.
Thistle and Spire offers comprehensive sizing and sizing details for its clothing that tells you what you need to know about how each item fits. Part of the reason is its commitment to offering clothing that will make you feel hot, regardless of your size, gender or sexual orientation. And you’ll see that dedication reflected in the models wearing each garment. Finding lingerie modeled by someone with a body that resembles yours is an extremely rewarding experience.
The entire Thistle and Spire catalog is ornate, sexy, and creative, but my favorite is the Medusa set. The bralette fits my bust (and shoulders) perfectly and offers a high degree of adjustability to ensure it fits the body perfectly. The same goes for the matching bottoms. Here’s another thing Thistle and Spire does that seems impossible: the lingerie is comfortable. It supports my body where it needs support, and it’s comfortable to wear for long periods of time, so much so that you’ll want to wear it everywhere, you can!
Just throw on a few patties (Thistle and Spire also offers them) and you can wear the bralette as a real top. They even ship in a mesh bag that you can use to wash them (on delicate mode).
The Flow
Buying a binder is difficult. The best results you’ll get are from stores that take your measurements and make you a custom binder tailored to your specific body, but this can be time consuming and expensive.
When I was buying binders for my partner, hearing about the wait scared them. So I looked for a middle ground option: a binder that fits them the way they want and ships in a shorter time frame. That’s how I found Fluxion.
The binders are durable and well-made, with sturdy stitching on every seam and a comfortable cotton lining inside a Lycra shell. It feels like a tight swimsuit fabric, and in testing I found it did a great job tying a large bust on a small frame, or a medium bust on a large frame. Because they are made from Lycra, they stretch and need to be washed to regain their tension. This is something you don’t have to worry about as much with binders made from non-stretch fabrics or custom-made binders like those offered by companies like Shapeshifters.