There was a media storm over gender neutral toys this week - now one label is taking the debate to fashion.
Australian womenswear brand Tom-Boi has launched its first range to market.
Founder Clarita Farrugia said the brand evolved out of frustration at the fashion industry’s gender specific clothing.
Tom-Boi takes inspiration from the style of men’s clothing but is made for women’s body shapes.
The label has kicked off with an underwear line in traditional ‘boys’ cuts, boxer style and briefs, before expansion into a wider range casual wear, office wear and accessories.
The Melbourne-based brand came about whilst Farrugia was travelling through the UK in 2011 and was inspired by popular clothing retailer Topman.
"I have always preferred and worn boys clothes or hunted for the clothes that most closely represent boys clothing in women’s stores but they were either hard to find or didn’t fit quite the way I would have liked," she said.
The underwear range is available as Tom-Boi Briefs, Boxers and Boi-leg styles, with breathable, tagless construction, a smooth waistband and a flat stitch.
The range is available for purchase online at www.tom-boi.com or via the brand’s Facebook page.
Tom-boi will also be hosting and sponsoring a series of events throughout summer where the range can be purchased.
The socially-focussed label has received support through ShareTree, a charity model which assists new companies with start-up funding.
These companies then operate in ShareTree’s business model which returns profits into a pool to assist future start-ups as well as fund other charitable initiatives.
As a silent partner, 50 per cent of the net profits of Tom-Boi are given back into ShareTree to assist other launch businesses with seed funding and business coaching.