My name is Jamie Alexander and I am the proud father of a twelve-year-old trans girl, Ruby. With the permission of Ruby, I would like to share how her journey inspired me to create RUBIES. There are over a hundred thousand kids in North America with their own stories, this is just one…
Pictured: Ruby
Ruby’s relationship with so-called, ‘girls’ clothing and shoes, as she navigated through her gender identity, may have started as early as three years old. I had exposed her to a music video of Beyoncé and Ruby would dance in my wife’s, Ange’s, black patent leather pumps, while busting out PG-13 moves to “Single Ladies”. Towards the end of third grade, when she was ready to transition, Ruby started wearing brightly coloured sweaters with a sports bra, underneath and purple leggings. It took Ruby a while to start wearing dresses, starting at holidays and occasions like Rosh Hashanah or a birthday party.
With the whirlwind of activities at school and after school, such as swimming, gymnastics and dance, came the necessity to buy swimwear, leggings and leotards. This caused no end to the anxiety I felt for how Ruby could safely wear form-fitting clothing. For a while, it was boardshorts for swimming at the beach and frumpy sweatpants for gymnastics.
In July of 2019, Ruby and I went on a sixteen-day trip to Panama, where every day was filled with new adventures. There were many chances to go swimming but together, we decided that for her safety, Ruby would continue to wear her boardshorts.
The truth is, Ruby just wanted to wear the same clothes as most of her girlfriends and in some cases, it seemed she wouldn’t be able to do so safely. That was when I started exploring options that would be a solution for Ruby and others in her position, which led to the creation of RUBIES in 2019. Throughout the research and development process, I designed over ten prototypes and included over fifty families to test the product. This prepared RUBIES to be able to successfully launch in the Spring of 2020. My hope with RUBIES is that we come one step closer to living in a world, where kids can wear whatever they want, regardless of their anatomy and shine!
RUBIES, the innovative and inclusive Canadian brand, specializing in creating form-fitting clothing for trans girls, is set to expand their current swimwear offerings with their much-anticipated underwear line in early 2021! RUBIES is designed to empower and provide worry-free comfort – through their soft compression, spandex and mesh technology – to trans girls and allow them to safely participate in any activity, in any place. Whether it is at the beach, gym or pool, RUBIES ensures trans girls can remain active and be as comfortable as their friends, without compromising style!
To be as inclusive and accessible as possible, RUBIES will be making its website available in a variety of languages. In addition, RUBIES will continue to run, “Every Girl Deserves to Shine”, a campaign dedicated to providing free swimwear to families in need. Through the profits of RUBIES, t-shirts and donations to the campaign’s Go Fund Me page, the brand has been able to raise over $25,000 and donate hundreds of swimwear bottoms!
However, RUBIES is about more than creating garments with a comfortable fit – their mission is to build a community that encourages conversations, creates connections and most importantly, provides courage to girls transitioning and their families. With every purchase, RUBIES includes handwritten postcards by trans and non-binary children and their allies with positive messages to gift to the receiver. RUBIES aims to celebrate trans girls worldwide and most importantly, ensure that every trans girl has the freedom to shine!