How to Donate Gender-Affirming Garments and Support Your Trans Community

A couple of weeks ago, we shared why December looks a little different around here.

Instead of leaning into the rush, pressure, and endless “last chance” messaging, we’re trying to find ways to make meaningful contributions. Our deepest desire is to choose care over consumption and find ways to show up for trans and gender-diverse communities in ways that actually matter.

So this week, we’re focusing on a way to give that doesn’t require buying anything new at all.

Giving Doesn’t Have to Mean Spending

Origami Customs has a year-round community program where we create and distribute free, gender-affirming garments to individuals with limited access. We afford this through profits from our sales, monetary donations, and partnerships with NGOs. 

But rather than asking you to buy more so that we can give more things away for free, this week we’re skipping ourselves as the middleman. Instead, we’re asking you to donate a gently-loved garment directly.

Many of us have gender-affirming garments that once played an important role in our lives, but don’t anymore. Bodies change. Needs change. Identities evolve. That doesn’t make those garments less meaningful; it means they’re ready for a new chapter.

So, for the next 2 weeks, we’re asking you to donate a gently loved gender-affirming item to a community program that will redistribute it. And if you do, we’ll give you a present!

Donate and Discount: December 18–31

For the second half of December, we’re running our Donate and Discount initiative.

Here’s how it works:

1. If you have a gently-loved gender-affirming garment you no longer need, donate it. It can be any type of GA garment, any brand, and donated to any community center or organization you choose.

2. Once you’ve donated:

• Email us to let us know what you sent and where

• Include a photo of the garment and the mailing label as proof

3. We’ll send you a 10% off coupon for a gift card, usable in any amount, at any point in the future.

This program is intentionally flexible. We’re not collecting garments, directing donations, or deciding where help should go. You know your community best.

Where to Donate Your Gender-Affirming Garment

You’re welcome to donate locally, support a mutual aid group you already trust, or give to any organization you believe in. We have a list of community partners we already work with, but you’re welcome to donate your garment anywhere.

If you’re looking for an option, we’d love to highlight one of our longtime partners who has one of the biggest and oldest binder redistribution programs in North America. We’ve worked with Point of Pride for years, and we continue to deeply respect the care they bring to their programs.

Point of Pride provides free chest binders to trans people who need one and cannot afford or safely obtain one. Their program is inclusive, dignified, and rooted in trust. Applications are open year-round, shipping is always discreet and free, and they currently ship to over 90 countries.

Applicants join a waitlist after completing a form and taking measurements. Demand is high. Hundreds of garments go out each month, and new requests arrive daily. Wait times can be long, and so every donation of a gently used binder can help people who need one get it faster.

Thanks For Being Here

We know that gender-affirming garments save lives. Access should not depend on geography, income, or privilege. This week’s initiative is about meeting each other where we are. Whether you donate a garment or simply share this information, you’re part of a larger network of care.

And, if you don’t have a used gender-affirming garment to donate, but want to contribute, we’ll always happily accept monetary donations! 100% of all donations go specifically to creating new gender-affirming garments for gender-diverse people who couldn’t otherwise afford them.

Thank you for showing up with intention, for taking care of each other, and for being part of our community this December.