A Toronto dad creates a swimwear line for transgender teens. He did this as a way to help his 12-year-old daughter, Ruby.
The Toronto dad, Jamie Alexander, solved his daughter's finding bikini bottoms by creating an entire swimwear line.
He named his clothing brand, Rubies after his daughter, Ruby.
Struggling to find swimwear
Jaime believes that part of his daughter's way of feeling comfortable and confident in wearing whatever she likes, this includes a bikini. As a transgender girl, 12-year-old Ruby has always been struggling to find bikini bottoms.
That led to Rubies' creation and the first product under this swimwear line, Ruby Shaping Bikini Bottom.
The Toronto dad
Jaime Alexander is an entrepreneur. He is also a veteran of the tech start-up world. When the dad started creating the swimwear line for transgender teens, Alexander partnered with Ryerson University's tech start-up incubator, The DMZ. He got the help of a garment engineer, and he had access to a fashion accelerator. As a father, Alexander has always been very supportive of his daughter, Ruby. That is even before she was able to identify her preferences.
ALSO READ : Mother Shows Support to Daughters at Pride Every Year For 5 Decades [She Always Brings the Same Sign]
The Toronto dad creates the swimwear line for transgender teens.
According to transgender activist Jessica Herthel, having available swimwear can bring transgender girls a sense of normalcy and belonging. Herthel said in an interview with TODAY, "An item of clothing like Rubies swimwear can be a total game-changer for transgender and gender-creative children."
When the Toronto dad was creating the swimwear line, he observed that most of the available bikini bottoms did not look like normal bikinis.
"I wanted to create a garment that looks and feels like a regular bikini and a brand that resonates with kids, not just trans kids," Alexander explained. He added he wanted to make sure that whatever it is that he will be creating will solve a problem. The Toronto dad wanted to make sure that the problem he has exists among other parents too. That is why Alexander researched by conducting interviews among parents who also have transgender children.
The goal of Rubies
After creating the prototype that uses spandex on the outside, Alexander sent out samples to 25 families in North America and Australia. He wanted to make sure that the bikini bottoms were going to work functionally.
Since its release, the Toronto dad learned that transgender teens are wearing bikini bottoms as underwear. That is why he is now trying to expand the swimwear line into creating real underwear made of cotton fabric.
For the Toronto dad, his goal for these transgender teens, like his daughter, is to make them feel better. He said, "I want to focus on the positive stories about these kids and normalize them."
