8 Inclusive Clothing Brands for Diverse Bodies

By London Alexander

Have you ever cried in a fitting room while trying on stacks of clothing that didn’t fit your body type? Do you ever fall in love with an outfit on a plastic mannequin and then feel depressed when it doesn’t fit your real, human body? People don’t have a standard body, and this should be celebrated, not punished. These events can be traumatizing for your self-image and turn the excitement of shopping into a dreaded chore. So, to honor the beauty of diverse body types, here’s a laundry list of stylish, inclusive clothing brands that challenge mainstream beauty standards:

1. WILDFANG

WILDFANG is a brand that embraces “masculinity, femininity, and everything in between” and looks to break gender norms with simple ideas like including pockets on garments (YES, POCKETS!) and button-ups without boob gaps. With merchandise available online as well as stores located in Portland, OR, and Silverlake, CA, this inclusive brand carries the commanding style of trendy culture. Their signature designs include a variety of comfortable coveralls, trousers with an ultra-lux feel for casual or formal wear, patterned blazers and vests, cropped button-ups, essential dresses, and skirts. Each garment includes a fitting guide that is based on unique measurements rather than gender. Not only does WILDFANG contribute to inclusive fashion, but they’ve given back $1 million to communities by supporting organizations such as ProjectQ, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and more. They also hold an official Guinness World Record for collaborating with Darcelle XV for the “world’s longest drag show,” raising over $300,000 for the Trevor Project in support of crisis services for queer youth. Who would have ever guessed that the revolutionary need for practical pockets would lead to such a positive impact on communities!

2. Universal Standard

Universal Standard is a much larger-scale company that produces an impressive range of everyday products, including a variety of high-quality denim, dresses for any occasion, an option to “build your own suit,” athleisure apparel, and cozy pajamas. Their mission statement establishes that they are the “world’s most inclusive fashion brand,” with sizes ranging from 00-40. Universal Standard is revising beauty norms by shifting conventional ideas, declaring that sizes 18-20 are medium, since, according to them, the average-size woman in the U.S. wears 16-18. What is typically considered “plus size” in the fashion industry is actually the most common size worn by women. By empowering people to embrace inclusion, Universal Standard looks to improve the industry benchmark.

3. Rebirth Garments

For those interested in more of the wild side of style, Rebirth Garments is a bold, outrageous brand brimming with colorful, daring designs that cater to disabled trans and queer folks of all sizes and ages. Designed by non-binary, disabled Filipinx queer, Sky Cubacub, Rebirth Garments was created because “disabled people want to look sexy too.” The radically visible clothing line achieves this through its unique garments, including a sultry A-line skirt with neon waves, an eccentric squiggle-hemmed crop top, and chest binders. Of course, no queer fashion is complete without accessories. Rebirth proudly produces stickers and patches that express disabled joy, stating “Queercrip” pride and “chronically ill and dressed to kill.” Although Cubacub’s disabilities are increasingly impacting their ability to produce work, they teach classes in their educational division, Rebirth Warriors, to share knowledge and teach youth how to create their own clothing line. Queercrips and allies unite in building an inclusive future!

4. LilaPants

Who says girls can’t wear suits? Certainly not LilaPants, where co-owner and CEO Jennifer Knoepfle has created a brand of alternative formal wear for kids and teenage girls. Knoepfle believed that boy suits have limiting colors and do not fit female bodies properly, so she produced a brand that focuses on suits specifically for girls. She was inspired by her daughter, who has refused to wear dresses since kindergarten, and any other girls who don’t conform to the traditional gender norms of beauty standards. LilaPants boasts pantsuits in vibrant colors including ruby, peacock, and floral, and, for extra flair, sequin lapels. Not only are the outfits stylish, but they also create practical comfort by including pockets (YES, MORE POCKETS!). Knoepfle recognizes that since the suits are geared toward kids and teenagers, they need to be durable so each one is machine washable, has a stretch waistband, and no itchy tags. The next time someone says girls can’t wear suits, show them just how dapper you can be in a LilaPants suit. 

5. Auf Augen Hoehe

This Germany-based company makes clothing for little people, ensuring equal access and diversity for all. In 2017, Sema Gedik launched this brand after her cousin Funda expressed difficulty in finding clothes to fit her body type. The name of the company translates to “at eye level” but takes on the idiom “seeing eye-to-eye,” which expresses mutual respect and understanding. The made-to-order clothing includes classic blouses with modern accents, casual jackets, animal-print dresses, versatile skirts, tights, T-shirts, and pants. Transforming beauty standards to be more inclusive, Auf Augen Hoehe provides the first size guide for little people. Due to the company’s innovation and inclusion, it earned the Tommy Hilfiger Social Innovation Award. With global shipping, regular surveys, workshops with little people, and implementing customer and community feedback, Auf Augen Hoehe is a trailblazer for diverse clothing.

6. Stuzo Clothing

Stuzo Clothing is a Los Angeles-based company that blends the styles of founder Stoney Michelli’s Bronx, NY hometown with West Coast vibes to create high-quality streetwear. The non-conforming brand boasts a variety of collections that boldly support minority cultures. Some unapologetic Black-pride clothing includes a T-shirt that reads “Coco Butter” in a Chanel font and an imported kente-fabric sweater with a radiant outline of Africa. The empowering Feminist collection carries a tie-dye crop top stating “SHE BAD” and a tank with a massive female symbol down the center. The LGBTQ+ community also receives love with “FemBoi” and “Yup, Still Gay” T-shirts. This increasingly popular gender-free brand has even been worn by celebrities like Ruby Rose, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Spike Lee!

7. Sunnah Style

Sunnah Style is a large Islamic clothing company based in Toronto, Canada that has a strong emphasis on modesty and quality for women and young girls. It may be difficult to come across modest-clothing shops in the U.S., but Sunnah Style ships worldwide and offers an assortment of garments including an extensive range of styles from classic closed and shoulder-closed garments to trendy butterfly and bisht abayas. Their collections also include loose-fit abayas with pockets, breathable niqabs, robes in an assortment of colors, tops, skirts, jilbabs, and khimars. They also recognize that not everyone is a size 6-10, so they manufacture shorter and longer abayas and carry “styles that suit a variety of body types.” Most designs even include zippers and snaps at the neck to accommodate nursing mothers. Whether culturally inspired or simply a desire for a subtle look, Sunnah Style provides inclusive clothing for the elegantly modest. 

8. No Limbits

After Erica Cole began having extreme difficulty pulling jeans over her prosthetic leg, she was inspired to create No Limbits, a clothing line for people with disabilities. She began by installing zippers on her pant legs, eventually creating her first product on Kickstarter. Within just 48 hours, she reached her goal, raising the money to fund her vision of inclusive fashion. Cole then went on to make an appearance on Shark Tank, where Mark Cuban and Emma Grede invested $100,000 into her company. Now, No Limbits offers a variety of garments for people with disabilities, including khaki and denim zippered pants that have extra-durable knees for added wear from prosthetics, and pants for people in wheelchairs that have convenient thigh pockets, an extra-soft waistband for prolonged sitting, and a hidden catheter loop if needed. They also produce sensory tanks, blouses, and T-shirts with a comfortable fit for those with sensory sensitivities. These garments feel like a hug with some compression for helpful regulation. No Limbits continues to provide stylish clothing valuing the individual’s independence. 

It’s time to kick over that tower of clothes in the fitting room and wipe away your tears. Not all of us fit into the idea of a “standard” body type. In fact, most of us don’t! These inclusive clothing brands have thrown mainstream beauty standards into the laundry and cleaned them up. Now, shopping can be a fun experience again, and thanks to our new practical pockets, we have plenty of room to carry around pride for diverse body types and styles!