From DIY tees to full collections — here’s how our style (and message) evolved.
When we launched FLAVNT in 2014, we were two queer siblings with boxes of Pretty Boy tees in our Brooklyn apartment, a dream to give back, and some bold-ass ideas for t-shirts. Over the years, our style has changed — but our mission has stayed the same: create unapologetically queer streetwear that feels good, looks good, and gives back.
In this post, we’re walking you through our design journey — the hits, the experiments, and everything in between.
The Early Days: Statement Tees & DIY Hustle
Our first-ever designs were made by hand (literally). We were printing tees in our living room, packaging orders ourselves, and hitting local queer markets and Instagram hard. Our early staples like:
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"Pretty Boy"
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"Gender Roles are Dead"
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"Gal Pal"
…became community favorites because they said what people were thinking but hadn’t seen on a shirt before. These were more than slogans — they were shields. They made people feel seen, bold, and proud.
We weren’t designing “for Pride Month.” We were designing for every day, for people who wanted to be out loud even in a world that wasn’t always safe.
Leveling Up: Color, Fit & Intentionality
As our audience grew, so did our designs. We started moving from cheap Gildan tees to professional screenprinting and higher quality materials, experimenting with:
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Muted, gender-neutral palettes
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Better-fitting blanks that flattered all body types
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Multicolor prints and embroidered details
We weren’t just putting words on shirts anymore — we were building collections around themes: softness and rebellion, pride and protest, love and identity. We launched Capsule Collections, introducing seasonal drops that felt fresh but still timeless.
That’s when our vibe really started to crystallize: queer streetwear that blends comfort, identity, and edge.
The Bareskin Binder Era
The biggest leap in our design journey? Launching our own product from scratch: the Bareskin Binder.
We took everything we’d learned from designing affirming, inclusive clothing — and poured it into a compression garment that filled a real need in our community. Creating a binder meant learning about fabric sourcing, patternmaking, ethical manufacturing, and sizing science — all new territory.
It’s now one of our bestsellers and biggest sources of pride.
What We’ve Learned from Designing for Queer Folks
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“Unisex” is usually code for “boxy and boring.” So we lean into genderless design that flatters, moves, and affirms.
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Representation matters. We don’t just use queer models — we design with them. Our feedback loop is real.
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Slogans are powerful, but people also want everyday pieces. Our latest collections balance message-forward pieces with evergreen pieces for day-to-day wear.
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Community > trends. We watch the streetwear space, sure (shoutout to brands like Wildfang, CHNGE, and Official Rebrand), but we design for our people first — not the algorithm.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Today, FLAVNT is more than just a clothing brand — it’s a platform, a protest, and a project of love. And while we’re proud of how far our designs have come — from our first tees on Tumblr to fully developed, community-centered product lines — we’re still learning. Still evolving.
Upcoming releases will continue blending streetwear aesthetics, gender-affirming fits, and values-driven storytelling. We want you to feel just as good in a soft blank hoodie as you do in a bold protest tee.
Because every piece you wear should feel like home — or like armor.
Thanks for growing with us. Whether you’ve been here since our Tumblr days or just found us through a tagged pic on Instagram, you’ve helped shape this brand into what it is today. And we’re just getting started.