Trans folks said this trans-led clothing brand isn’t inclusive. Here’s its rebuttal.

Clothing brand Both& is all about catering to trans and nonbinary folks. Its designs are meant to “create the most euphoric, masc fit for our own community,” per its website — but according to trans folks across the internet, the brand is missing the mark.

The discourse started with a viral post criticizing Both&’s marketing. Referencing an ad with the heading “Transmasc denim is here,” a user on X (formerly Twitter) sarcastically wrote, “Inclusive denim is here!!! Also, every trans man is 5’2 and needs a 28 inch length.”

The latter comment referred to a screenshot of the sizing options for Both&’s “Jo” jeans, which are only available with a 28-inch inseam, meaning they’ll likely only fit people between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-8. (The pants do, however, come in waist sizes from 28 inches to 42 inches, all with that same inseam.)

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That post’s replies were filled with folks pointing out that Both&’s sizing reinforces stereotypes of trans masculine folks by not accommodating different body types.

acting like you're a trans inclusive brand and not even putting in options for HEIGHT DIVERSITY is wild

— Bea🌻 (@TheShadoutMapes) April 16, 2024

It seems a lot of people forget that tall trans guys do exist too. It’s often assumed that bc of sexual dimorphism that most trans men are short. I’m 6’2 and it’s impossible to find REAL inclusive clothing that checks every box.

— Andy (@toadallynotdrew) April 16, 2024

Other aspects of the jeans’ design, particularly the line in the advertisement pointing out the “extra room proportionally at hips, bum, and thigh,” also drew derision from trans folks on the internet. 

“Extra room for my massive feminine lady hips and my gigantic princess thighs,” one trans masculine person replied, pointing out that the design accommodations meant to be inclusive can also be read as othering or belittling.

Extra room for my massive feminine lady hips and my gigantic princess thighs

— fag enabler (@stayearthnoided) April 16, 2024

But it’s worth noting that Both& has the best of intentions. It’s a trans-led company, and its founder and CEO Finnegan Shepard explained its limited sizing to INTO over email.

“We are a small brand that can only afford to order small batches of clothing at any given time. When we first launched, we had only 28″ inseams and went up to size 36″ in the waist,” Shepard told INTO. “As we grew, we were able to get the factory to produce more size variants (there’s only so many you can make when you are ordering small unit quantities).”

“We had community requests for expansion in many directions — to have short inseams, longer inseams, and to go up and down in waist/hip sizing. The priority for us was to expand the waist sizing, adding on sizing up to 42″,” he continued. “We would love to — and plan to — expand our inseam variation as we grow as a brand, but we started there because it was the best compromise to fit as many folks in the community as we could, until we are at a scale where we can produce more SKUs.”

In other words, Both& hears the critiques — but according to Shepard, it’s not in a place as a brand to address them quite yet. Until then, though, its inclusive brand image may keep ringing false.

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