Gender Neutral Clothing

" Androgyny is certainly not a passing trend, but one that is going through another cycle with a new generation.” - Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president and general merchandise manager for ‘mens’ at Barneys NY. "

In recent years, gender neutral clothing has taken the fashion and retail world by storm. But don’t be fooled, this concept is not a new one; most notably the Glam-Rock movement of the early 70s, showcased the likes of Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Alice Cooper who championed the wearing of gender fluid clothing. The rock stars were not afraid to let both their femininity and masculinity share spotlight when it came to their clothing and stage presence.

https://juliewalsh4president.tumblr.com/

http://bowiebrokemyheart.blogspot.in/2015/04/how-david-bowie-was-accidentally.html

Fast-forward to the present day, designers and clothing outlets are reintroducing the notion of non-binary fashion. In 2015, Selfridges launched their Agender Project, a section of the store solely dedicated to gender spanning lines like Comme des Garçons and Gareth Pugh. Contemporary designers, Rick Owens and JW Anderson have reimagined the the theme of gender-neutral dress and Gucci's 2015 menswear runway collection showcased both male and female models wearing silhouettes and items of clothing that traditionally appear in womenswear collections.

http://the-rosenrot.com/2014/01/feminism-comme-des-garcons.html

http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/09/gallery-j-w-anderson-catwalk-bfcs-london-collections-men-2-3344688/

As trends and styles usually do, gender-neutral clothing has trickled down from catwalk to contemporary culture, with celebrities such as Ruby Rose highlighting gender fluidity and Kristen Stewart and Tilda Swinton rocking classic 'male' attire (although they always did) in their daily wardrobes. 2016 took unisex clothing to a whole new dimension; who could forget when Jaden Smith wore a skirt to prom and became the face of Louis Vuitton womenswear? Remarkably, even Harry Styles embraced the ideology, as cover star for Another Man magazine, sporting long hair, pink converse and a pair of 70s style flares.

Despite unisex clothing appearing to be a trend that is quite simply doing its rounds amongst a new generation, could it be that this time round it has different connotations? A deeper meaning that represents inclusivity and acceptance for all? It seems that although gender-neutral clothing has always been there, fashion along with contemporary culture and the forward thinking views of the millennial generation has allowed for the deconstruction of gender markings, creating sexual ambiguity and the overturning of gender stereotypes and divisions.

Blogspot (2015). David Bowie. [image] Available at: http://bowiebrokemyheart.blogspot.in/2015/04/how-david-bowie-was-accidentally.html [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017].

Faratin, P. (2013). JW Anderson. [image] Available at: http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/09/gallery-j-w-anderson-catwalk-bfcs-london-collections-men-2-3344688/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2017].

La Ferla, R. (2015). In Fashion, Gender Lines Are Blurring. The New York Times. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/fashion/in-fashion-gender-lines-are-blurring.html?_r=0 [Accessed 2 Mar. 2017].

Ventus, G. (2014). WHY THE FEMINIST IN ME LOVES COMME DES GARÇONS. [Blog] The Rosenrot. Available at: http://the-rosenrot.com/2014/01/feminism-comme-des-garcons.html [Accessed 2 Mar. 2017].

Walsh, J. (n.d.). Freddie Mercury. [image] Available at: https://juliewalsh4president.tumblr.com/ [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017].