Finnegan Shepard, who is trans, underwent top surgery in April 2020. During the healing process, he began searching for a swimsuit in which he could proudly show off his new masculine chest. But the options he came across online were less than satisfactory. “Everything was really Pride-branded or super-functional, [and made it look] like I wanted to go rock climbing,” says Shepard, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was, until 2018, a graduate student focusing on political philosophy and creative writing. The swim trunks he had in mind were stylish and flattering, with extra room built in through the seat and thighs.
The idea for a clothing line expressly made for trans masculine bodies began to germinate. Shepard set up informational interviews with members of the trans community, questioning his contacts about their relationship with clothes to figure out what they wanted and needed in a clothing line. “I started with the three trans people I knew, and then asked them to introduce me to any trans people they knew,” Shepard, 30, says of the process that quickly ballooned into countless interviews.
