Hello shapeshifters!
It's a new year and we’re shaking things up again.
Over the past two years, we’ve had to take a long hard look at how we do things. Like many other folks, we’re thinking hard about how we can support our employees, ourselves, and our customers, and how we want to do better going forward. The fundamentals of what we do will never change, but we’ve been in community long enough to know how to adapt and take care of each other in a rough world.
With that in mind, here’s the updates from our latest transition.
Price Changes
When we re-open custom binder and sports bra orders on February 1st, it will be with new prices.
Those of you who've followed us since our Etsy days know that we've had to do this every few years, for a whole host of reasons both personal and global. We now purchase all recycled and recyclable shipping materials from a domestic company; we buy our binding mesh - the base of all of our garments - from a local US fabric mill that doesn't underpay their workers; and we've purchased a new production machine that will allow us to make a sturdier, higher quality, and more comfortable product.
The past year has made it very clear to us that our current prices cannot sustain the kind of business that we want to run: one that will ship high-quality, consistent product from a workplace where our employees feel safe, make enough, and are supported when they need to take time off.
That’s why as of February 1st, the base price for our binders and sports bras will now be $85. Binder lengths will have two price tiers, with $85 covering up to 18 inches long, and 19 inches and longer now priced at $100. Zippers, hoods, and other add-ons will not change in price. This new pricing more accurately reflects the cost of alterations; what we used to call "free refittings" were always intended to be covered by the initial cost of the binder, and we'll be changing the language we use to talk about them to make that more clear.
We understand that this will push our binders out of range for some folks! Please know that we're doing this so that we can keep making binders at all.
Production Changes
We’ve done our best to keep production steady in a pandemic world, but we can’t and won’t compromise worker safety or quality control. In order to allow us and our employees to focus on each garment, regardless of Covid-era production limitations, we are lowering the limits on our available stock. The monthly restocks we did in 2021 will now be carried out on a weekly basis. Limiting our incoming orders in this way will allow us to maintain and improve the levels of quality and care you’ve come to expect from us.
Make Your Own Binder Kits
Folks have been asking for ages and it's finally here! The Shapeshifters Make Your Own Binder Kit comes with a custom pattern, all the fabric you need, and instructions for how to make your own Shapeshifters binder at home with a tabletop sewing machine. We're offering limited options to start with (white mesh, black mesh, Jabberwock, Snidnight, Liquid Metal, and a gachapon surprise option), and we’re hoping to expand them in the future.
As the only makers in the market who accommodate this level of size and ability range, we know a lot of folks rely on us to stay accessible. We’re delighted to offer this lower-cost option for crafty home sewers across the planet, share the skills we’ve developed over the years and help you DIY the things you need for your body.
The kits will be in pre-order starting January 17th, and will start shipping out on February 7th. Buy yours here!
Site Changes
As you explore our website, you may notice some organizational changes to our menu. Pretty much everything is still there, just moved to a different spot to better reflect what we want to focus on.
You can now find the Off-the-Rack Sale under the Store menu, and gift cards also have their own listing. Face masks, buttons, and 'zines are in "Queer Gear" which can also be found under the Store menu. Fabric samples, repairs & alterations, and scrap bags can be found under the Services menu. The Make Your Own Binder Kits have their own place in our menu for now. And we've decided to let the Face Mask FAQ go; knowledge and resources on the subject have expanded since we wrote it in April of 2020!
Future Changes
And there’s more to come! We’re excited to do new things in the new year.
You may have seen our call for 'zine artists. We've already started reaching out to folks, and as soon as we start hearing back from artists we'll be stocking 'zines on our website.
We're going to be editing and expanding our store and Binding 101 FAQs with more information and other resources.
We're finally bringing back the Binder Dress! We'll be restocking that along with our custom orders on February 1st.
We'll be utilizing our Youtube channel for more educational and informative videos. The very first will be a video of Krista going through the process of making her own binder using the Make Your Own Binder Kit (beta version).
Eli is also going to be reanimating our blog to talk about being trans, nonbinary, and pregnant, among many other things.
And much more!
Thank you so much for sticking with us, shapeshifters. Back in 2014, when we first started this company as a single listing in an Etsy shop, we dreamed of being able to make a living and pay other people, so that we could all be safe and taken care of during the hardest of times. We had a fantasy, then, of “maybe someday” becoming and maintaining a strong, reliable resource for our community. 2022 is that Someday, folks. We’re here.