Inspired by his transgender daughter, father designs swimsuits to make her and other children feel comfortable and safe

The story we bring you today is about a father’s love for his daughter, a love so powerful that it led him to venture into a whole new world for him, the world of fashion. Little by little, he learned to design swimsuits that were practical for swimming and for exercising, in which his transgender daughter began to feel comfortable. Today, this love and dedication can be seen in his brand, “RUBIES”, which exports bikinis to children around the world.

O awesome.club was delighted with the story of Jamie Alexander, a father who couldn’t find a suitable bathing suit for his daughter in stores and decided to learn how to make bikinis on his own.

According to Jamie, at the age of 3 Ruby began to manifest preferences different from those culturally expected according to the gender assigned at her birth: she liked to wear high heels, danced to Disney and Beyoncé songs and felt like a true princess. . From that moment on, Jamie and his wife joined a follow-up group created by the Toronto public school system and offered their daughter a safe space to find out if she identified as a man – the gender assigned at her birth -, as a woman or as a woman. like neither.

When Ruby turned 11, she asked her parents if she could wear a bikini like other girls her age. Decided to respect their daughter, they bought “normal” bikinis, which at first worked.

During a family trip to another country, the parents began to reflect on the attention Ruby would draw by wearing a bikini to the beach.

And it was at that moment that Jamie noticed that the fashion industry offered transgender girls a very marked bikini bottom, with a padded material in the front, which did not seem normal. She wanted to be able to wear a beautiful bikini to the beach so she could exercise comfortably and safely, and Jamie was willing to do whatever he could to make that a reality.

Following his entrepreneurial spirit, in October 2019 Jamie left his CTO position at a software company he had founded and started a new business: RUBIES. Their mission was to create bikini bottoms for transgender girls and non-binary children under 14 with the motto “every girl deserves to shine”.

He prepared and applied for a fashion startup-oriented fellowship program at Ryerson University in Toronto to receive guidance as he developed his new business. There, he met Olena Vivcharyuk, a local textile engineer who identified with Jamie’s vision and helped him design and sew the first prototype bikini bottom for the “RUBIES” brand. After a while, Cat, a fashion entrepreneur, joined the team and helped make the first 20 pieces.

They started by making bottoms that incorporated spandex compression, providing a tight fit that offered a nice comfortable workout feel that cisgender girls were offered. In addition, the piece could be used as underwear, also increasing the feeling of security.

Jamie was very excited about all the developments and wanted to hear people’s thoughts on his drawings. As a member of several Facebook groups for parents of transgender children, he offered some products in the mail for free in exchange for comments on his creations.

To a large extent, the brand is a reflection of Ruby: fun, bright, full of positivity and joy. Jamie’s intention is to focus on positive stories about transgender children and try to normalize them so that they all feel increasingly comfortable with their bodies.

Ruby writes notes that are sent along with orders, always thinking about the brand’s motto: “Every girl deserves to shine. Thanks for her support. Enjoy your bikini! Jamie and Ruby”. She and her father like to convey their gratitude for the trust and for that reason they always send a message of hope to customers.

Among Jamie’s upcoming projects are a beach towel, a high-waisted bikini top and bottom, with other body types in mind. And of course, all this will be done alongside Ruby, always with her contagious magic and enthusiasm.

“Over the next year, my mission with RUBIES is to help connect families with like-minded children who live far from each other. I’m thinking of creating a search map of local LGBTQ+ support groups. I have a project called ‘Amigos RUBIES’ that helps to bring parents and children closer together, so that they can get to know each other personally, at least on a local level”.

Jamie doesn’t have all the answers to the questions he receives, but he knows that being there for his daughter was instrumental in learning everything he knows. “Follow the example of your children and offer them an environment full of love. Only then will we be able to obtain the best results in the world”.

The story of Ruby and her family is a clear example of how love and understanding are fundamental to a happy life. We’d love to read her impressions of this story in the comments.