Historically, the transmasculine community has been neglected by the fashion world. But Both& is a new brand looking to offer clothing tailored specifically for transmasculine bodies.
The company was founded by Finnegan Shepard, a trans man who started Both& after going through top surgery and feeling like he still couldn’t find clothing that fit his body. The items are designed to emphasize a masculine figure, disguise bindings, and the line is size inclusive.
The general idea is that our clothing is a representation of who we are, and no one should have their clothing options limited based on their body.
Both& is fully bootstrapped and sells direct to consumer through the website. The strategy is to do super small batches of capsule lines, with the first going on pre-order today.
The first line is comprised of three basic t-shirts.
The Finnegan is an everyday basics shirt. The Tyla is similar to the Finnegan, but has a ribbed sleeve cuff for a tighter fit around the biceps. The Khazeel is designed for an oversize fit, and is designed to cover bindings and appear boxy. These items range from $39 to $45.
Both& wants to start with simple designs and forget about color and prints for now.
“Let’s get the basics right in terms of shape, and focus on relatively minimalist-ish colors, and then once we have those nailed, then we move on to a lot more colorful stuff,” said Shephard. “We’re not really interested in prints. That was one of the things that I actually had an adverse reaction to. There are a lot of companies out there that are printing sort of Trans Pride stuff on t-shirts, but they’re not really changing the shapes or making them fit better.”
The plan is to release new designs every six to eight weeks.
One of the challenges for Both& is that the target demographic is very focused on sustainability, but traditionally doesn’t have a lot of disposable income, according to Shepard.
“We’re making it at an accessible price point and also sustainable and we’re building items that can also be produced in small batch,” said Shepard. “That’s a lot of different things to try and juggle at once.”
