Online marketplace for gender variant folks in the works

sunset landscape with a person's head, surrounded by a ken and barbie on either side

(I find the logo to be a bit creepy–maybe it’s the dolls and the sunrise in the background?)

Sarah Dopp, the person behind the cool site Genderfork, has a new project in the works.

It’s called a “Genderplayful Marketplace” and the idea is to have a site, similar to etsy, where people can come together and sell clothing to one another. Sarah wants folks to have a space to trade and create clothing for gender variant folks, for bodies of all sizes and gender expressions. Sarah has already raised over $5000 from the online community toward this project, which shows just how wanted this kind of space is.

Genderplayful is a plan for an online clothing marketplace that celebrates diversity in gender presentation and body types. This is for anyone who can’t easily find what they’re looking for in a typical clothing store, with special support for androgynous, unisex, butch, dapper, femme, gender-bending, gender-transgressive, and gender-fanflippingtastic clothing solutions for all kinds of bodies.

Genderplayful cares about custom solutions, and the marketplace will host a lively community that finds and creates those solutions together. Vendors will include indie designers, crafters, clothing makers, tailors, and people selling things from their closets and local thrift stores. Community members will pool notes on what they’re excited about, and vendors will take cues from buyers on what to create more of. The goal is to create a culture-rich gorgeous Internet bazaar for the playful, the exquisite, and the just trying to get dressed in the morning.

I’m personally psyched to see what comes of this project. As someone who is genderqueer and has a ton of trouble finding clothing that fits my body and my gender, I can’t wait to see what Sarah and the folks behind the project come up with.

Clothing plays a huge role in gender presentation, self-esteem, how we feel about ourselves and how we are read. Shopping in stores, especially for gender variant and trans folks, can be unsafe. A lot of use already use the internet to find the clothing that we need. This sounds like it could be a great resource.

More info about the marketplace is here.

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