Seen on Our Own Terms: Inside the Gaff and Go Photoshoot
Give me the short version
This spring we spent a day in a Liverpool studio shooting a new campaign for Gaff and Go, covering our lingerie, our chest binders and our packing underwear. Trans clothing, photographed properly, on the bodies it was made for. Here is the story of the day, what it meant, and why being seen on your own terms matters so much. If you want the full picture, read on.
There is a particular feeling that comes from seeing yourself reflected back properly, and most trans people spend years not getting it. The magazines, the lingerie campaigns, none of them were ever made with us in mind. So when I plan a shoot, that is the thing I am chasing. Not a perfect image. A true one.
I'm Robyn, founder of Gaff and Go. This year, we got it. I want to tell you about the day.
WHY THIS SHOOT MATTERED
For most of my life, the images I saw of people in lingerie and underwear were not made for bodies like mine. You learn to translate.
You look at a campaign and do the mental work of imagining yourself into it, because nobody did that work for you. It is quiet and constant and it wears you down.
This shoot was about refusing that. A studio in Liverpool, our full range, and pieces designed for trans bodies from the start. Not adapted. Not an afterthought. Made for us. The point was simple: trans people deserve to see themselves in beautiful imagery, the same as anyone else, without having to translate.
I did not want a campaign that looked like every other underwear shoot, with the trans part bolted on. I wanted the images to feel confident and at ease, because that is what the products are for. Comfort and joy, not endurance.
LINGERIE MADE FOR TRANS BODIES
There is something about seeing a piece you obsessed over in development finally worn the way you imagined it. The satin sets, the bralettes, all of it shaped for trans bodies rather than borrowed from somewhere else. That is the whole reason I do this.
Our bras and bralettes are built for trans bodies, soft and shaped, designed to work with how we actually wear them. The lingerie range covers everything from everyday pieces to something for an occasion.
When you have spent years making do with underwear that was never meant for you, having pieces designed from the start changes how you feel in them. That was what I wanted these images to show.
BINDERS AND PACKING UNDERWEAR
The day was not only about lingerie. We also shot our chest binders and our packing underwear, the pieces we carry for trans men, transmasc and non-binary people who bind or pack. Trans men get left out of the conversation far too often, and putting these products in the frame, worn by the people they are made for, was a real part of why this campaign mattered to me.
That part of the shoot featured Greyson and five other brilliant models: @hazeyherbivore, @oj_tank, @kellanxiaoguang, @theapplauseplause, @kai_mcdonald96 and @blake.ab02. Most of them I already knew through the trans sports and fitness sessions we run with Trans Celebration.
They came with their own stories and their own commitment to the community, and you can feel it in every frame. Go and follow them.
You can see the full binder range in our chest binders collection and the packing underwear collection, both on the Gaff and Go site.
WHAT THE DAY FELT LIKE
The energy was much more friends collaborating than professional shoot. Lots of warmth in the room, lots of laughing, easy and relaxed from start to finish.
People posed together, took selfies between setups, swapped stories about their lives and their work. You can feel that in the photos, and that was the point. The pieces are made for comfort and confidence, so the shoot needed to feel that way too.
We also filmed plenty behind the scenes, some of which has been going up on our Instagram and some of which will support product pages on the site over the coming weeks. Keep an eye out.
MORE THAN ONE BRAND, ONE COMMUNITY
This was a collaboration. The day brought together Gaff and Go with my other brand, Bond and Binder, and the wider work of Trans Celebration. The trans community looks after itself when we work together, and this day was proof of that.
Trans people, photographed with care, wearing things made for them. That is not a small thing. For a lot of us it is the image we needed to see years ago and never did.
WHERE TO START
If you are new to Gaff and Go, the easiest place to start is the lingerie collection, the bras and bralettes, the chest binders or the packing underwear, all designed for trans bodies from the ground up. Our FAQs cover sizing and fit, and you can always get in touch directly if you would rather just ask.
The shoot was photographed by Nick BL Photography at Vessel Studios in Liverpool. Trans people deserve to be seen properly. I hope this is one small part of making sure we are.
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