From the beloved Harry Styles to new influencers like Mark Bryan, from co-ed fashion shows to the new LGBTQ+ movements: genderless fashion is not just a trend, but a real necessity. And who knows, maybe even the old clichés of menswear and womenswear are about to be blown away by the fresh wind of our Z generation.
We live in the age of freedom of expression, and fashion is reflecting this change. The traditional binary system increasingly seems an outdated cliché, unable to represent our diverse and complex society. For us young people, biological sex is a detail, something overrated. We fight for our freedom of expression, and that unites us more than any label.
At first, previous generations may have thought that this was just a passing trend, but they were sorely mistaken. Genderless fashion is here to stay and is gaining more and more space. Young people are taking control of the market, rejecting neutral and "Unisex" collections created only for marketing purposes.
Previously, a unisex collection was stereotyped by attributing only a small selection of garments often sweatshirts and oversize T-shirts. But this is not enough.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, we have already noticed a significant shift, especially with Gucci. The runways of the most prestigious fashion houses are slowly breaking the chains of seasonality.
Now, we see models sporting clothes without regard to their gender, with men and women sharing the stage equally. Very often, even androgynous models are preferred, making our attention focus on the garment without categorizing it into any gender.
Numerous designers have embraced this vision such as Diesel and GCDS in the last Milan Fashion Week SS23. But also in the most recent Paris Fashion Week FW24, brands such as Balmain and Jacquemus brought both men's and women's models to the runway, breaking away from the strict Fashion Week calendar.
It is inspiring to see how this revolution has taken hold even in the most prestigious fashion schools at the European level; I have been able to attend schools such as Instituto Marangoni Milan and IFA Paris in recent years, where students actively support this cause with their creativity, incorporating into their designs this vision that is now taken for granted.
Fashion is now fluid, and we determine what to wear based solely on our taste, without worrying about preconceived rules.
It is not what we like that is beautiful but what we like!
Paladins of this new vision are numerous influencers and celebrities who have decided to follow their own tastes by using genderless clothing even on major red carpets.
One can only fail to mention Harry Styles (@harrystyles), a style icon .who actively contributed his personal vision of style but also digital influencers such as Mark Bryan (@markbryan911) who prompted by this new current of thought normalized the use of the skirt even for a not-so-young career man, simply because he believed it was comfortable and versatile.
Future consumers are the youngest, and society must take these new forms of expression into account, especially brands that want to persist in an increasingly diverse market.
According to Business of Fashion, Generation Z is the most populous ever, representing 25 percent of the global population and with an estimated purchasing power of $360 billion in the United States alone. So, understanding their inclinations is critical for luxury brands. (Elle.com)
But dealing with this transition is not without its challenges for brands. From production to sizing to advertising campaigns, there are logistical issues to solve.
In fact, if we are being honest even now, we cannot say that fashion has become 100 percent genderless.
Currently although there is a strong interest in change, there are still limiting elements such as clothing sizes that still do not fit all physiognomies.
Because this concept of fashion is not about wearing women's clothes for men and vice versa but precisely about 'adapting different silhouettes on different body types following our tastes and not always the clothes produced allow all physiognomies to do so.
However, it is essential for brands to commit to it because there is no more space to turn back.
Co-ed fashion shows seem to be the answer to many of these problems. They respect the environment by reducing annual appointments while simultaneously capturing the nuances of our modern society, where there are no longer just two genders, and the ways of expression are endless. We are ready for a fashion without limits, without labels, where everyone can be themselves without restrictions.
REFERENCES:
Di Marcantonio, P. (2022) IL 2023 sarà l’anno della consacrazione del gender fluid?, Amica. Available at: https://www.amica.it/2022/12/21/moda-gender-fluid-come-cosa-significato/ (Accessed: 30 January 2024).
Ferri, F.M. (2023) Moda genderless, come sarà il futuro della moda fluida per i Brand, elle.com. Available at: https://www.elle.com/it/moda/ultime-notizie/a42649626/moda-fluida-genderless-gen-z/ (Accessed: 30 January 2024).
Shoaib, M. (2023) Gender-neutral fashion has a sizing problem, Vogue Business. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/gender-neutral-fashion-has-a-sizing-problem (Accessed: 30 January 2024).
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