These custom suiting companies are doing their part to fashion the suit with nothing but high style and dapper flair for all.
One of the greatest changes in the fashion industry in recent memory is its (slow but sure) integration of gender-neutral styles into its seasonal collections not to mention the rise of entirely gender-neutral lines and stores. As the conversations around gender change in fashion and popular culture, so do the ways people adorn themselves. With this comes changes to the custom garment industry, including the rise of suiting companies specializing in serving gender-nonconforming people.
The importance of gender-affirming clothing to LGBTQ+ people is undeniable, because with that freedom of expression comes the ability to be exactly who you are without having to conform to society’s outdated ideals. While queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people have always worn suits, for the longest time, these populations have not been prioritized when it comes to mainstream suiting outlets. But with current cultural shifts, we’re seeing makers of the garment reject the gender binary. The following five custom suiting companies from around the country are doing their part to fashion the suit for LGBTQ+ people with nothing but high style and dapper flair for all.
Shao Yang started The Tailory New York because she couldn’t find a place for herself in the fashion industry. She wanted to work in custom suiting, but found that as a woman, nobody would listen to her. “[I] shopped the idea of suiting for everyone instead of one very specific demographic around, and got turned down every time,” she says.
So she started on her own. After meeting Danielle Cooper of the now-beloved site, She’s a Gent, Yang began outreach into the queer community. Cooper had recently started blogging at the time and told Yang of her love of tailoring, suiting, and menswear. But Cooper felt there was nothing out there for her and never felt comfortable.
Yang says, “I was like, ‘This is exactly why I started The Tailory new York. This is what I wanna do.’ And we’ve been working very closely since then. Through Danielle, I really took that to heart, got involved, and adapted my suiting and our aesthetics.” Yang describes The Tailory’s style as a heritage look with a fashion edge “to fit everyone.”
Most of her business now comes from referrals, and she showed The Tailory New York's “Ungendered” collection at men’s New York Fashion Week this past July. “I think a lot of fashion companies think mainstream fashion should be seen in one particular way and cater to one particular person or one group of people,” Yang says. “I never felt comfortable with that and I always wanted to challenge that.”
