For trans people in Winnipeg, new business hopes to offer affordable clothing in safe, supportive setting

Avery Quinn says her journey to coming out as transgender started with a pair of earrings.

She'd worn the same ones for years, long before she came out as trans. But last fall, she decided to change them, and she was sent on an exploration of gender that led her to discover herself as Avery, a transgender woman.

From there, she was faced with a "10-mile-long to-do list," from finding a supportive doctor to starting hormone therapy, all while running her software consulting business and parenting. And, among it all, she found herself in need of a whole new wardrobe.

"Clothing was one of the first things, I think, actually, that needed to change — because it wasn't something I needed to wait on anyone else to do. But that was also one of the most daunting parts of it," Quinn said.

Quinn figured it out with the help of her partner and fashion stylist, Suzanne Reesor. Now, she and Reesor are starting a new business to make the process easier for others.

"It can be very costly and very scary to go out in the world and try to make that change on your own," she said.

Closet Space

Their business, Closet Space, is intended to make affordable clothing accessible to trans and non-binary people, in Winnipeg and across Canada. After launching on Facebook earlier this month, they've already received multiple donations of second-hand clothing they'll sell alongside Pride gear at pop-up markets. They'll also curate clothing for individual clients, even bringing it to their homes.

Their plan is to make finding a new style affordable and easy, and remove it from the context of traditional fashion retail that genders everything from clothing to change rooms and physical layout of stores.

"It feels like something that should be easier to navigate than it is. But old habits in society die hard," Reesor said. "For us, it feels like a no-brainer to just challenge that and be something else."

The pair stressed they don't want to speak for anyone else's experience of gender, so they've put out surveys on social media asking for feedback from others. They've also reached out to some two-spirit groups for further guidance.

"We will all have to do this together," Reesor said. "To make it work, to keep the prices low, to keep me being able to go in-house and still pay my own rent."

They plan to offer personal shopping trips with Reesor for $25 an hour. In-home visits will mean a commitment to a $100 purchase, which will amount to three or four outfits from a selection of clothing curated for each client.

Quinn added they also plan to sell some gender gear, which is scarce in Winnipeg. Examples include handmade gaff panties, which some trans women use to tuck in external genitals.

Need to 'see what I can do to change things'

They haven't even had a client yet, but Quinn said she's already been overwhelmed by the amount of support she's seen online for their business. 

She and Reesor both said the business feels like something they've been called to do.

"I kind of feel like I need to — I really need to do this to help how I can," she said. "I feel like I really have to try my best to see what I can do to change things."

Closet Space's first pop-up market is planned for Sept. 22 in Garry Street Coffee, at 333 Garry St.

They're still hoping for donations of clothing in all sizes, especially large sizes as well as small sizes of masculine clothing.