In one of my first blogs, I came out as A Shot At Love Tila Tequila viewer. As I flipped through channels on Tuesday night, I came across what might have been the second or third episode of Tila’s second season. Though I paused before changing the channel, I did reminisce the “one who got away,” Miss Dani Campbell. Our favorite lesbian firefighter, became popular after describing herself as neither femme, nor butch. To coin this term, she launched her clothing line, Futch™ apparel, during the 2008 Dinah Shore Weekend.
As you peruse through Curve, you’ll find Dani isn’t the only one creating lesbian-specific clothing. Dyke Tee’s DITC (Dykes in the City) spawned from a group of six women who shared more than an interest in women — clothing. Today, the apparel company, broadened its horizons from t-shirts to a full clothing line. Rigged Out/fitters, another queer-specific line, takes gender for a spin. The vintage-inspired line initially launched with boy-cut shirts, but now has filled their closet with shirts, tees, and accessories.
According to the Community Marketing Lesbian Consumer Index, lesbians, on average, spent $500 on clothing in the last twelve months. This mirrors the gay male respondents in the CMI index, except for younger gay males, who spend $250 more than their younger lesbian counterparts.
I must be honest, I have never been a fan of these “statement” shirts. Clothing is a personal and individual expression of who you and how you wish to project yourself. Though my personal clothing preferences lie outside the realms of Futch, DITC, and Rigged Outfit, I am very intrigued by the business and social elements of these extremely targeted products to this very niche markets. If lesbians are spending $500 on average, a year, on clothing … where are we buying our clothes? How many are buying from lesbian boutiques? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Image Courtesy of Dani Campbell Official MySpace
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