Underwear for all: How one alum put inclusivity at the heart of their startup

Jaymin Luces-Mendes wants you to know they don’t care about fashion. 

“The idea of Toni Marlow (external link)  made the most sense because fashion started to do unisex clothing as a trend, but it wasn’t truly unisex, it was just baggy clothes on women,” say Luces-Mendes (Entrepreneurship ‘15). “Initially, it was going to be a clothing brand, but underwear was simpler. I was also physically uncomfortable in my underwear.”

Although founded in 2015, Toni Marlow launched in late 2016. Described as an undergarment brand for people who menstruate, Toni Marlow undergrarments serve the needs of gender non-conforming LGBTQ+ folks. “That first year and a half was all about finding the language—who we are for and what we are doing,” they recall. 

“Fashion was never the initial idea, I was interested in business,” answers Luces-Mendes, when asked about choosing entrepreneurship over a more traditional route for someone who starts a brand, such as fashion design. “Entrepreneurship is my joy.” 

Mid-semester in their first year at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Luces-Mendes switched from a Bachelor of Arts into Ted Rogers School of Management’s Entrepreneurship program. “I struggled in school because I had undiagnosed ADHD, but I also loved the structure,” they add, “I did night school courses in math to be able to get into a business [program].”

It wasn’t just the coursework that gave Luces-Mendes the tools to start their journey with Toni Marlow; working in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation “fostered” their entrepreneurial spirit. Luces-Mendes also credits resources available to students and alumni interested in starting their own ventures—Toni Marlow is an alumni of the Fashion Zone, one of Toronto Met’s 10 zones that incubate companies in different sectors. Their involvement with Zone Learning included the DMZ, where Luces-Mendes was supported through their Black Innovation Program with tailored programming and events for Black-owned businesses.

Initially, Toni Marlow’s target customer was an individual assigned female at birth, between 18-45 years of age and menstruating. Jaymin-Luces recalls a shift somewhere around 2018, when cisgender folks who were hesitant became more open. “When we first started in 2015, there were no other companies doing what we did in Canada, but [since then] the industry has accepted they need to be more inclusive. There was a shift in social awareness and tolerance, it was exciting seeing some of my assumptions be disproven.”

Fashion’s treatment of androgyny as a trend trivializes the needs of gender non-conforming consumers (external link)  looking for garments to feel comfortable in. For the aesthetics-driven and risk-averse fashion industry, it used to be more convenient to ignore consumer needs when designing unisex clothing. Truly unisex clothing de-emphasizes gender in favour of garments that work for multiple body types.

“What I’m noticing is that with so many newer players in the game, a lot of are copying what they see and putting a new twist on it. The majority of folks are not doing anything unique with their product design,” explains Luces-Mendes, who notes Toni Marlow’s consumer need-driven design and fabrication. 

Community is at the heart of Toni Marlow, including its efforts to support suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community, which faces a higher rate of depression and suicidal ideation (external link) . “Since the day we launched, we have donated a dollar per product sold to suicide prevention at Friends of Ruby (external link) ,” they said, decribing the necessary work the charity does in providing counselling, housing and social services for queer youth. 

“Quality and community input are the top,” they point out, when asked what differentiates Toni Marlow. “Our products are made directly from the feedback of the customers we serve. I will wait or pay a little more if we have to because our community deserves quality.”

When asked about next steps for a growing fashion startup, Luces-Mendes goes back to their purpose. “It was always about increased visibility and access,” pausing as they envision their ideal scenario. “It’s like back-to-school, everyone in the family should be able to get their underwear at the mall.”