How Genderless Dressing is More Than a Trend. Fashion Week is, of course, when designers present their new collections to the world and with that their interpretations of the trends for the coming seasons.
Except this time things were different. The runways of recent have been distinctly more androgynous than we have seen before. In fact, this new movement goes beyond androgyny, which implies clothing that is somewhat gender-neutral. Designers like Rick Owens and Rad Hourani have been designing genderless fashion for years, but the latest collections from more traditional fashion labels like Gucci and Prada have seen gender-neutral clothing arrive in mainstream fashion. Even high street giant Zara recently launched an ungendered line, following in the footsteps of the department store Selfridges, whose Agender line spreads across three floors of the London flagship location.
This development is more than a trend; it is evolution. Fashion is a great insight into the mentality of a time and place. Related March 6, 2014. Unisex Denim Collections : his + hers. Zara Releases 'Ungendered' Clothing To Mixed Response. Are Mixed Gender Shows the End of Men’s Fashion Weeks? LONDON, United Kingdom — Of the many changes brands are making to the fashion week formula, one approach seems to be sticking: mixed-gender catwalk shows.
Starting in September, Burberry and Bottega Veneta will combine their men’s and women’s collections into one show, held on the women’s show schedule. In 2017, Gucci will follow suit and Tommy Hilfiger has announced plans to “eventually” do the same. Meanwhile, Zegna, Calvin Klein, Brioni, Cavalli, Costume National, and Ermanno Scervino have all opted not to host shows at Milan menswear week in June, leaving the men's schedule noticeably empty. Zegna and Calvin Klein will skip this season as they change designers, while Brioni will show at women’s couture week in Paris instead. In Paris, Balenciaga’s first menswear show will bolster the schedule, though both Berluti and Saint Laurent will be absent this season.
For brands, mixed-gender shows have some advantages. Steven Kolb, president & chief executive officer, CFDA. With Generation Z comes genderless fashion. So far in 2016, Urban Decay has already announced gender fluid model Ruby Rose as its new ambassador; transgender model Ben Melzer has posed on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine; while transgender model Andreja Pejic has graced the cover of Marie Claire.
Fashion brands themselves are also keen to diversify: H&M, not only put Pejic on its catwalk for Paris Fashion Week, but has appointed Caitlyn Jenner as the face of H&M Sport. Where men’s and women’s collections were once kept strictly separate in the capital – displayed at the female-fashion dominated London Fashion Week and the male-centric London Collections: Men – brands like Burberry and Tom Ford are defying tradition and choosing to showcase their collections at the same shows. Campaigns are becoming more androgynous, too: It’s been a long time since anyone batted an eyelid at the suits, skirts, dresses or tunics that appear on the runway on all sorts of models.
Kudos to Zara for leading the charge. Genderless fashion: a fad or the future?