Have you ever experienced the struggle of finding something you could wear that would possibly make or break an interview, an event, or a wedding? How about taking that struggle into a fashion industry that throws most articles of clothing into a gender specific sizing and fit, which you just don’t relate to? Those are the struggles people face every day and thankfully companies like Bindle & Keep are helping people finally find confidence in a world that isn’t always the most caring.
In January of this year director Jason Benjamin debuted a documentary shedding light on the struggles of gender non-conforming and trans individuals finding formal wear that makes them feel as good as they look. This important documentary shows the people of Bindle & Keep, Rae Tutera and Daniel Friedman make suits for people of the trans experience and gender non-conforming individuals. They touch on the inspiration Tutera gave to Friedman after asking for an apprenticeship. He sought to provide those that previously lacked proper fitting clothes a place to learn that there are people thinking of them and want to help them feel and look as snazzy as they deserve to be. Together they have helped those that have not been able to have their needs met with conventional and traditional tailors and clothing lines.
You get to see nurse Derek Matteson get ready for his wedding after struggling as a trans man to find a suit that flatters him. He is helped by Tutera and Friedman to find the suit of his dreams for his wedding. The documentary follows law student Everett Arthur find a suit after many job interviews ruined due to the company discrimination. Mel Plaut, a gender non-conforming cab driver seeks a suit for their birthday party and gives up wearing feminine clothing to please others. Aiden Jones is a trans man looking for a suit with for his bar mitzvah and finds confidence in the path he is meant to follow. Producer Lena Dunham’s sibling Grace Dunham appears in the documentary looking for a suit to flatter their gender non-conforming identity and style. Successful trans attorney and professor Dr. Jillian T. Weiss receives a suit that makes her feel amazing and confident in the courtroom. The subjects in this documentary touch your heart and definitely will make you want to follow them on twitter to hear more from them.
To see the hope that they give their customers, that they can look marvelous in clothes after years of searching for formal wear that makes them feel good, gives the watchers a look into a struggle that is not thought of a lot when referring to trans and non-conforming individuals. Those that fall in the binary genders can take for granted the ease with which clothes can fit and flatter. This documentary does an amazing job at shedding light on another aspect of inequality that some goes through in everyday life. To watch someone who has struggled with their identity their whole life look in a mirror and love what they see is invigorating and touching. This is a documentary that those in the lgbtq+ community and those that aren’t would benefit from watching. Thank you to those that were a part of it for making such a touching and inspiring piece of art. Always remember as Rae Tutera says, "You have the right to be handsome."
