For
years,
the
mainstream
lingerie
market
has
been
shaped
by
narrow
beauty
standards
and
cisnormativity,
with
little
room
for
gender
diversity.
Most
lingerie
is
designed
to
fit
cisgender
female
bodies,
while
trans
people
are
often
forced
to
go
DIY
with
uncomfortable
solutions
like
pantyhose,
duct
tape
and
ill-fitting
shapewear.
That’s
part
of
what
motivated
Karyn
Elizabeth
to
found
Zhe,
a
lingerie
brand
designed
for
the
transgender
and
gender
nonconforming
(TGNC)
community.
I’ve
had
people
send
messages
saying
they
finally
feel
comfortable
in
their
own
skin,
or
that
it’s
the
first
time
lingerie
has
made
them
feel
affirmed
instead
of
dysphoric.
“Zhe
was
inspired
out
of
love,
necessity
and
a
little
bit
of
frustration
with
the
status
quo,”
Elizabeth
explains.
“In
2014,
when
my
daughter
shared
that
she
was
transgender,
I
wanted
to
take
her
shopping
and
help
her
find
affirming
clothing
—
but
lingerie
was
a
huge
sticking
point.
When
she
shared
with
me
the
DIY
measures
that
some
trans
women
take,
I
knew
I
needed
to
step
in
and
help
her.
Mainstream
lingerie
is
made
with
one
kind
of
body
in
mind,
and
it
just
didn’t
reflect
the
needs
or
beauty
of
the
TGNC
community.”
On
shopping
trips
with
her
daughter,
Elizabeth
recalls,
the
few
available
options
were
either
“hyper-fetishized,
wildly
uncomfortable
or
just
totally
uninspired.”
Zhe
officially
launched
in
2021,
with
the
goal
of
creating
lingerie
that
is
as
affirming
as
it
is
functional.
“Every
seam,
every
fabric
choice,
every
design
detail
had
to
say:
‘You
belong
here.
You
deserve
to
feel
beautiful,’”
says
Elizabeth,
who
sees
lingerie
as
both
literally
and
emotionally
intimate.
“It’s
often
the
first
thing
we
put
on,
and
it
has
the
power
to
shape
how
we
feel
about
ourselves
all
day,”
she
observes.
“I
wanted
that
feeling
to
be
one
of
confidence,
softness,
strength
—
whatever
the
wearer
needs
it
to
be.
That’s
the
heart
of
Zhe.”
As
a
mom
to
a
trans
daughter,
Elizabeth’s
perspective
is
deeply
personal.
Her
passion
is
driven
by
a
mother’s
love,
advocacy
and
a
desire
to
create
safer,
more
affirming
spaces
for
the
TGNC
community,
starting
with
the
clothing
closest
to
our
skin.
“I
envision
Zhe
as
a
love
letter
to
every
trans
woman
who
has
ever
felt
pressured
to
shrink,
hide
or
settle
for
ill-fitting
undergarments,”
she
says.
“You
deserve
better,
and
we’re
here
to
help
create
it.”
Before
founding
Zhe,
Elizabeth
was
a
stay-at-home
mom.
The
brand
is
very
much
a
one-woman
show,
and
while
she
admits
that
being
a
full-time
entrepreneur
isn’t
always
easy,
building
such
a
meaningful
project
from
the
ground
up,
for
a
community
she
cares
so
much
about,
makes
it
all
worthwhile
for
her.
Amid
the
current
wave
of
anti-trans
legislation
and
rhetoric,
Elizabeth
believes
that
small
acts
of
self-love
and
affirmation
are
more
powerful
than
ever,
and
that
gender-affirming
lingerie
can
help
people
reclaim
joy,
comfort
and
dignity
during
difficult
times.
Design-wise,
aesthetics
were
a
top
priority.
“I
wanted
Zhe
to
look
like
lingerie
you’d
see
in
a
boutique
window:
gorgeous,
stylish
and
confidence-boosting,”
Elizabeth
recalls.
“But
behind
the
scenes?
Sneaky
functionality
doing
all
the
heavy
lifting.”
With
TGNC
folks
often
forced
to
compromise
or
settle
for
pieces
that
don’t
fit
their
style,
finding
the
right
blend
of
comfort
and
affirming
beauty
was
paramount
for
Elizabeth,
whose
approach
is
to
honor
different
bodies
without
trying
to
“fix”
them.
Instead
of
just
adjusting
existing
styles,
she
set
out
to
build
a
new
kind
of
lingerie
from
the
ground
up,
thoughtfully
created
with
trans
women’s
bodies
and
needs
in
mind.
That
means
tucking
underwear
that
supports
rather
than
squeezes,
and
bralettes
that
fit
properly
without
padding
the
wearer
doesn’t
want.
Zhe’s
tucking
underwear,
which
sparked
the
entire
brand,
is
made
of
high-performance
compression
fabric
that
also
provides
breathable
comfort
and
all-day
support.
Meanwhile,
wider
bands,
soft
fabrics,
high-rise
cuts
and
strategic
mesh
placements
prioritize
gender
euphoria.
Zhe’s
signature
offering
is
the
Wicked
Collection,
which
Elizabeth
describes
as
“bold,
high
femme
and
unapologetically
sexy,
with
a
sexy
lace
and
dramatic
cut
that
celebrates
the
body,
not
hides
it.”
“It’s
the
kind
of
lingerie
you
wear
when
you
want
to
feel
powerful,”
she
adds.
The
brand’s
bestseller
is
the
Bella
bra
and
panty,
which
are
ultra-soft,
stretchy
and
wearable,
combining
everyday
comfort
with
a
touch
of
elegance.
Zhe
is
also
in
the
early
stages
of
developing
binders
for
transmasculine
folks.
Elizabeth’s
biggest
goal
for
the
future
is
to
become
as
accessible
as
possible,
with
as
many
sizes,
price
points
and
design
options
as
possible
for
trans,
nonbinary
and
gender-expansive
people
at
different
points
in
their
journey.
Elizabeth’s
determination
is
buoyed
by
the
heartfelt
support
she’s
received
from
the
TGNC
community.
“I’ve
had
people
send
messages
saying
they
finally
feel
comfortable
in
their
own
skin,
or
that
it’s
the
first
time
lingerie
has
made
them
feel
affirmed
instead
of
dysphoric,”
she
shares.
“I’ve
cried
happy
tears
reading
some
of
the
emails
and
DMs.
The
support,
the
feedback,
the
love
—
it’s
been
overwhelming
in
the
best
way.”
Collaborating
directly
with
the
TGNC
community
has
also
been
a
cornerstone
of
the
brand
and
has
offered
invaluable
insights.
During
the
design
process,
Elizabeth
works
closely
with
transgender
women
and
models
to
do
fittings,
get
honest
feedback
and
make
adjustments.
She’s
also
gained
feedback
by
gifting
pieces
to
prominent
TGNC
content
creators
like
Rose
Montoya.
Launching
Zhe
didn’t
come
without
challenges.
Originally
set
to
launch
as
the
pandemic
hit,
Elizabeth
dealt
with
supply-chain
issues
and
delayed
timelines,
complicated
further
by
the
fact
that
most
factories
were
unfamiliar
with
the
needs
she
was
trying
to
address.
As
a
result,
issues
like
incorrect
samples
and
communication
breakdowns
would
arise.
Finding
the
right
fabrics
also
took
time,
as
they
needed
to
be
strong
enough
for
support,
but
soft
enough
for
everyday
wear.
For
Elizabeth,
all
the
effort
was
worth
it
in
the
end.
She
hopes
that
Zhe
can
act
as
a
bridge,
showing
the
fashion
industry
and
the
lingerie
world
what’s
possible
when
you
design
with
inclusivity,
care
and
real
community
input.
“For
too
long,
the
TGNC
community
has
been
completely
left
out
of
the
conversation
when
it
comes
to
design,
fit
and
representation,”
she
says.
“They’ve
been
handed
scraps
or
expected
to
‘make
it
work’
with
pieces
that
were
never
made
for
them
in
the
first
place.
My
dream
is
that
Zhe
helps
change
that,
not
just
by
offering
affirming
lingerie
but
also
by
showing
the
industry
that
this
isn’t
just
a
niche.
It’s
a
necessity.”