Suddenly Fem, a Jenkintown-based clothing company, is striving to become the top national retailer of transgender female clothing.
This fall, the company — which specializes in clothing for transgender women, drag queens and cross dressers — will mark two new efforts designed to expand and diversify its audience base.
Laine Anderson and her son Tyler DeSouza, trans allies, own the company, which has been operating for nearly 20 years.
“The company was founded in 1994 and was started by my mother,” DeSouza said.
He said Anderson launched the company after noticing a gap in clothing designed specifically for “crossdressing,” and the company has since come to provide a full array of fashion options for transgender women.
DeSouza decided to help his mom with the business after graduating from college.
“We worked together to build this company,” DeSouza said.
Suddenly Fem will premier a new catalogue this fall, marking its first venture into catalogue sales.
The company will also launch three new lines this fall.
Hot in Hollywood, The Slimming Collection and Sexy Racy Collection will join Suddenly Fem’s signature line, the Babe Collection.
“The Babe Collection is our largest. It is more glitzy and more sophisticated,” DeSouza said.
Hot In Hollywood will feature more animal prints and chiffon.
“It is a little racier, with more sheer lace in it,” DeSouza said. “But we have brought our hemlines down a bit because we noticed our customer base was more mature. We design everything to fit the transgender shopper.”
The Slimming Collection will feature pieces to give the customer a more “feminine silhouette,” while the Sexy Racy Collection will offer lace and satin teddies and leather skirts and mini dresses with a hologram style.
Suddenly Fem is hoping to make itself more known in the Philadelphia area.
“I am looking to do things that are exciting,” DeSouza said.
He added he would like to see the brand be more accepted and introduced into the mainstream.
“I feel like this would be a great addition to any magazine,” he said.
To learn more about Suddenly Fem, visit www.crossdresser.com or email DeSouza at [email protected].