Fashion
FLAVNT Streetwear
Austin-based FLAVNT Streetwear — that's pronounced "flaunt" — is a brand that believes clothing should make you feel like your absolute best self. The brand started with the goal of creating dope streetwear that members of the LGTBQ community (and everyone else, too) could feel confident wearing — and subsequently flaunt their stuff while doing so.
FLAVNT Bareskin Binder, $50, flavnt.com
Started by identical twins Courtney and Chris Rhodes, the brand offers clever T-shirts, accessories, and most notably, Bareskin Binders in four neutral shades to suit a variety of skin tones. The twins started FLAVNT after Chris, a trans man, found he was having very particular dressing issues with the options on the market.
"Courtney actually wanted to solve the problem that Chris was having, in that he had nothing to wear in the summer time at the lake in Texas," FLAVNT tells Bustle. "She suggested a nude-colored binder range, which at the time of our Kickstarter launch did not exist on the market."
Chris used his experience shopping for binders to help make critical changes to the design. The binder comes in a range of nude tones — "not just one beige color, but an inclusive range from light to dark," FLAVNT says — and the Bareskin Binder has thinner straps and a slightly lower neckline and armpit holes so that it's not as visible under tank tops or low cut shirts, plus a racerback for increased mobility and comfort.
Innovations like this — not to mention the safe, inclusive community that FLAVNT cultivates around the brand — are what the fashion world need more of. No matter how you identify: If you've got it, FLAVNT it.
Check out Bustle's Most Wanted, a list of our editors' 25 favorite things for spring 2017.
