Transgender children are getting their own underwear collection
Carmen Liu and the children’s underwear she designed. (Carmen Liu)
The world’s first underwear collection designed especially for transgender children will be released in autumn 2019.
Carmen Liu, a 27-year-old designer from London, is the founder of GI Collection, the trans lingerie brand making the collection.
According to GI Collection, between one and three percent of children are affected by gender dysphoria, and the Carmen Liu Kids range of underwear will help these children feel like they belong in their bodies from a young age.
The new range, which will target trans girls, features patented technology designed especially for the unique needs of trans girls and their bodies.
Liu told Metro: “From the beginning, an underwear line for trans kids was one of the first and more important products I wanted to design and launch.”
“Unfortunately, I never lived my childhood as my true gender and this is something I can never get back. For me, to be able to provide the world’s first underwear line for the rapidly increasing amount of trans kids globally, is my way of helping them avoid losing their childhood as their true gender.
“Not only do I aim to provide trans-specific products for kids, but I will also increase the needed awareness of the ever-increasing problems for trans children and their families. I am already doing just this for trans women worldwide and now it’s necessary for me to expand my experience to trans children.”
Three colour options for trans kids underwear
The children’s underwear will come in a choice of three colours, including a yellow pair with daisies, a light blue option with white dots and a striped white and lilac pair with a strawberry pattern.
GI Collection originally launched in February 2019, with a collection of underwear for trans women that sold out within days.
While the adult underwear range offers a tucking option, this will not be available for the children’s underwear.
“I have designed the kids underwear line with cotton and mesh fabrics, the designs differ from current kids underwear available on the market as they allow for a greater hold and support for the lower body parts and are designed specifically for the needs of trans children,” Liu said.
“This will help with the symptoms transgender children can experience from gender dysphoria and avoid any public embarrassment they can feel.
“The design does differ from my trans women’s line, where full tucking is needed, this is because it is not safe for children at a young age to be tucking fully. I know there are a lot of people who are yet to understand why trans-specific products are necessary, I know that some of this is due to lack of information.
“One thing I always say to first help people is that trans girls and women have an additional body part that needs concealing. Cis-lingerie/underwear does not solve our issues, lingerie/underwear is a basic human need which our community does not have access to.”
