The fashion industry as a whole reinforces gender norms in many ways, but there is one that all of us encounter every day: gendered sizes and styles. A faceless entity decides what a man or woman should look like, and if you don’t fit any of the molds or identify with any of the labels, that’s it. your problem. Fortunately, there is a growing segment that offers tools to opt out of that binary.
Gender-neutral and inclusive 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 tried and used dozens of these and narrowed down my favorites below.
Each item of clothing on this list links to its manufacturer as well as other retailers that sell these items. On some third-party retailer websites, the items we’ve featured are placed in gender-neutral clothing sections, which is disappointing considering it’s 2024 and these items are explicitly gender-neutral. I’m just letting you know so you won’t be surprised to see that the gender-neutral underwear I recommended is listed as “for women” on Amazon.
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Both&
Both& offers a wide variety of tops and bottoms based on a sizing system the company developed independently. Instead of using existing sizing frameworks, Both& developed its signature length-to-width ratio by surveying its community, asking people what they liked and didn’t like about the way traditionally sized clothing fit their bodies. .
The result can best be seen on their exclusive t-shirts. Not only are they made from heavy, durable cotton, but they also fit the body in a way that creates a silhouette that breaks out of the shapes that gender-specific clothing often reinforces. The Khazeel T-shirt, for example, hangs in such a way that it easily hides the presence of a binder, while the drop-shoulder cut hangs from the body, rather than brushing against it.
marimachox
I’ve been using TomboyX for years and can’t help but praise it. With everything from shorts, briefs and thongs to bras and outerwear, I’ve never had an item from TomboyX disappoint me. Underwear can be tricky for queer and trans people for a variety of reasons, but TomboyX has a wide variety of cuts and fits, with sizes ranging up to 6X.
I’m a big fan of bikini briefs and boy shorts for everyday wear, and 9-inch shorts for wearing around the house or under skirts. The bra selection is also one of my favorites from any company on this list. TomboyX offers traditional sizing with numbers and letters on some of their bras, but offers standard sizes from S to 4X on other bras. If you’ve had trouble finding a bra that fits well, I can’t recommend the all-day bralette enough. It offers support and breathability, and fits perfectly under any t-shirt.
wild tusk
Originally from my hometown of Portland, Oregon, Wildfang has been a mainstay of the gender-neutral fashion scene for years. Its founders sought to free themselves from gender norms and offer clothing that can be feminine, masculine, none or all of the above.
With inclusive sizing that goes up to 4X on some pieces (unfortunately, some top out at 3X) and includes tall sizes, it’s pretty easy to find things that fit your body no matter your body shape or gender presentation. Some of the pants tend to have a higher inseam than you would expect, even in the larger sizes, so you may need to size up depending on your proportions, or get the larger size.
I’m a big fan of the high waist jumpsuit. Not only can you wear a flight suit like an astronaut or a space miner, but they are also fashionable, come in a variety of vibrant colors, and fit so well that you’ll want to wear them all the time, even if it’s too much. Warm up to wear a full body jumpsuit.
Another mainstay of my (and my partner’s) wardrobe is the essential cropped button-down shirt. As just an outer layer, it can turn a sports bra and a pair of pants into a attireand the fit hangs from your body instead of squeezing or slipping off your body like traditional men’s sized button-downs do.
thistle and needle
I have historically had a complicated relationship with lingerie. If it fits me well in the bust, it doesn’t fit me well in the shoulders; If it fits on my waist it doesn’t fit on my butt, and so on. I could write a thesis on the lingerie brands that have 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’ll have seen some of these clothes, for good reason.
Thistle and Spire offers inclusive sizing and sizing details on their garments that tell you what you need to know about how each garment fits. Part of the reason is their dedication to offering clothes that will make you feel sexy regardless of your size, gender or sexual orientation. And you will see that dedication reflected in the models who wear each garment. Finding lingerie modeled by someone with a body that looks like yours is an extremely affirming 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 perfectly to the body. The same goes for matching pants. Here’s another thing Thistle and Spire does that seems impossible: the lingerie is comfortable. It supports my body where it needs it and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time, so much so that you’ll want to wear it everywhere – you can do it!
Just throw on some pasties (Thistle and Spire offers them too) and you can wear the bralette like a real top. They even ship in a mesh bag that you can use to wash them (on delicate mode).
The fluxion
Buying a folder is difficult. The best results you’ll get come from stores that take your measurements and make you a custom shapewear for your specific body, but that can be time-consuming and expensive.
When I was buying folders for my partner, finding out about the wait filled them with dread. So I set out to find a middle option: a binder that fits your needs and ships in a shorter timeframe. That’s how I found the Fluxion.
The folders are durable and well made, with sturdy stitching at every seam and a comfortable cotton lining inside a lycra cover. It feels like a fitted swimsuit material and during testing I found that it does a great job of matching a large bust on a small frame or a medium bust on a large frame. Because they are made of Lycra, they stretch and need to be washed to regain the tension. That’s something you don’t have to worry about as much with folders made from non-stretch fabrics or custom-made folders like those offered by companies like shape shifters.
