“The notion that clothing as an expression of our personality belongs to one gender or another is the social construct that needs disassembling.”- Nick Paget, Senior Strategist, WGSN
Gender fluidity, in terms of fashion refers to a state of mind rather than a piece of clothing. Every garment can be gender fluid depending on the functionality, comfort, rights and choices of each person. The concepts of masculinity and femininity no longer define the clothing worn by people.
On a clearer perspective; gender less design isn't just for the non binary. It is for every individual who wants to accept and adapt to it. It is about self expression and freedom of being.
According to recent surveys, half of Gen Z prefers to shop outside of their assigned genders. They are naturally more welcoming and inclusive about various gender identities and expressions. They prefer to look beyond the binary and reject the social restraints that have been blindly followed for years.
If you look closely at the styling sector, you would come across dad shirts and blazers, oversized tees and boyfriend jeans being widely used under inclusive fashion.
Online media has turned out to be the biggest reason behind this. Many people develop their opinions through their favorite artist. Be it Billie Eilish in her baggy neon clothes or Miley Cyrus with her non conforming identity. Be it Jaden Smith, Halsey or Lady Gaga in their extraordinary gender fluid fashion, we love and accept it when our favorite celebs break the gender stereotypes and express themselves out loud!
When talking about gender fluid clothing, leaving Harry Styles behind would be no less than a transgression! He is THE fashion icon of today. He was chosen as the most ‘Influential celebrity dresser of 2020’ and gave a revolutionary appearance in the Vogue December 2020 issue.
Fashion is a subjective field and has been known to overthrow gender norms since olden days. As striking as it may sound, but men are buying skirts like never before. Designers like Marc Jacobs with the Polysexual collection, Coco Chanel with their wide legged trousers and Jean Paul Gaultier with men’s skirts have been some remarkable typecast bends that have promoted inclusivity in their own times.
It is now evident that gender less fashion simply gives creative dressing freedom to every individual. It does not have to do with the kind of cut or stitch the cloth needs, but has todo with the possibility of exploring one’s identity through the spectrum.
In the end, all that matters is the fit and comfort of any garment and that is what develops a brand's identity.
Thus; in order to bring perfect fits for all, any and every brand has to go through a trial and error process with real people. In areas where identities are limitless, a machine based data simply won't suffice.
"Fluidity and freedom have become words of war when the topic is fashion."
