The Story of Us
Genderwear SA was founded in 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, with a mission to create accessible, gender-affirming undergarments and apparel for the LGBTQIA+ community. Since 2024, under new ownership, we continue to embark on a journey to innovate and deliver high-quality, affordable solutions to those seeking gender-affirming products. We believe that everyone deserves to feel comfortable and confident in their identity.
Our Mission
At Genderwear SA, our mission is to empower individuals by providing gender-affirming apparel that prioritises comfort, safety, quality, and affordability. We believe in celebrating diversity, inclusivity and self-expression, while empowering each individual through thoughtfully designed, high-quality apparel. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the best service and products possible.
Mel Laubsher
Managing & Creative Director - Genderwear South Africa
Mel Laubscher is a transmasculine, non-binary solo entrepreneur and owner of Genderwear South Africa. Born in 1993, Mel grew up in an environment shaped by love, but also by the expectation to fit a particular mould. Like so many queer people, their identity was treated as a threat: something to suppress, avoid, or survive. What was framed as protection was, in reality, a silencing. Over the years, Mel found themselves having to "come out" repeatedly, each time forced to prove who they were just to be believed. It was a long, painful journey; one marked by shame, resistance, and deep loneliness. Mel does not take these experiences for granted, as they have also shaped who they are now: someone committed to never becoming the kind of person who made them feel small. Someone who wants to be the person they never had.
Through Genderwear SA, Mel has embraced their role not only as a leader but as a creator. With a background in music technology and exploring sound as a language for identity and expression, creativity has always been central to how they move through the world. Yet the systems designed to nurture that creativity instead stifled it, leading Mel to believe that their passion had abandoned them. Designing gender-affirming garments reignited that spark, revealing that creativity isn’t limited to one medium. Now, as both Managing Director and Creative Director, Mel channels their rediscovered artistry into every product, shaping clothing that is functional, beautiful, and deeply validating. They collaborate with skilled makers, work hands-on with customers, and transform lived experience into garments that communicate a simple truth: our bodies are worthy of comfort, joy, and recognition. What fuels Mel isn’t just resilience but transformation. Their focus is on building what was missing, creating the world they once needed, and making space for everyone to show up as their whole selves. Unapologetically and without compromise.