Fashion breaks the gender rules
THE MOST STYLISH people in the world are in on a secret: the rules do not apply. Rather than prescriptively following the arbitrary diktats commonly dished out in the name of ‘style advice’, they unapologetically do things their own way. Jeans after dark? Go for it. Visible underwear? The floor is yours. Pink with red, leopard with lizard, socks with sandals? Why the hell not.
Bearing in mind this ‘anything goes’ spirit, it’s a wonder we’re still making the distinction between womenswear and menswear departments at all. Certainly our favourite fashion icons are refusing to. Just look at Harry Styles in a canary yellow Marc Jacobs suit from the designer’s S/S ’20 women’s collection at this year’s Brit Awards, or Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Campbell in Dior Men.
This week, Stella Mccartney is the latest designer to join the genderless revolution with her Members and Non-members Only (MNMO) capsule, launching 31 August. The collection, described as ‘a wearable, bold, relevant edit of luxurious urban styles easily worn by men and women’ is ‘a youthful, genderless exploration of a collective (sub) culture linked by similar styles and Stella’s activist values’. You can expect logo hoodies, shirts with illustrated prints by comic-book artist Will Sweeney, and perfect tailored jackets and trenches (all made from ecoconscious materials, naturally).
Genderless clothing feels particularly prescient now. It’s a message being transmitted on the catwalks, too: for Gucci’s A/W ’20 collection, men wore babydoll dresses. At Hedi Slimane’s A/W ’20 Celine show, knife-sharp tailoring swaggered down the catwalk on both men and women – the same pieces will be available in both collections. And why not? A great jacket is a great jacket, end of story.
‘We have seen a shift in the fashion world where everything is a lot more relaxed and inclusive, people are more comfortable fully expressing themselves through clothing. We are having fun blurring that gender line,’ says Ola Alabi, founder and creative director of Cold Laundry, whose slouchy crêpe suiting and soft, patch-pocket shackets are a working-from-home dream.
‘In a recent study, 30% of
Gen Z identified as gender neutral,’ explains Riley Uggla, founder and creative director of eco-conscious unisex brand Riley Studio. ‘We are seeing greater acceptance of gender as a non-defining term. So why should our clothes identify us in this way?’ There’s also a sustainable argument to be made: ‘Gender-neutral clothing allows us to reduce the production of unnecessary garments by focusing on timeless pieces that can be styled by all genders and ages. We believe in individuality, which is why we set out to design without gender in mind. Style knows no boundaries, and neither should we.’
Certainly the demand is there. She might be known for the off-kilter cool of her knockout dresses, but Rejina Pyo launched a genderless collection earlier this year after noticing men wearing her designs or begging her to make them in their size. ‘The result is a more pared-back version of Rejina Pyo but still incorporating those signature elements,’ explains the designer, who used her husband as a resource during the development stages. ‘I wanted the collection to feel laid-back and easy to wear, to express that feeling when you throw on your partner’s shirt or coat but it looks amazing on you as well.’
You might be nervous around issues of fit, but stick with it. The easiest way to work it is to wear laid-back, loose-fit designs. ‘Fortunately we haven’t faced many issues, as our pieces feature an oversized, relaxed and contemporary fit, which flatters many body types,’ says Cold Laundry’s Ola.
‘There are assumptions that gender neutral clothing won’t work for someone because it isn’t specifically designed for their body shape,’ admits Riley. ‘But there aren’t as many differences as people may think in the construction of a garment. Fit has always been a challenge for us as a gender-neutral brand, particularly as we are trying to create design-led pieces, rather than just focusing on the more relaxed loungewear styles. Our toughest hurdles are with pieces such as a more classic chino trouser, where the rise differs depending on gender. While challenging, we look at it as an opportunity to be innovative in our designs.’
Gender-neutral, womenswear, menswear – if you can squeeze into it, even childrenswear – the memo now is that it doesn’t really matter. Just wearing something because you love it? That’s the only style ‘rule’ any of us should care about in 2020.