A look at the de-gendering of clothes

When it comes to fashion, people are more defined by their individuality than their gender.
Lines are blurring more and more in terms of style, with gender-neutral collections hitting the market from the likes of everyone from Jaime King to brands such as Levi’s®. While fits and sizing will always be a factor, in the end a T-shirt is a T-shirt is a T-shirt. And the same could go for sweatshirts, jackets, jeans, etc.
Last year, the UK-based department store Selfridges created “Agender,” a special collection that celebrated “fashion without definition.” The unisex line was designed to encourage people to explore shifting gender boundaries.
“The implementation of androgynous clothing into the mainstream may suggest that these clothes in fact don’t belong anywhere, and instead requires a restructuring of retail stores as to not sell ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s,’ and instead just ‘clothes,’” Fortune reported.
Last month, celebrity Jaime King introduced her gender-neutral collection for babies and kids. The concept is meant to empower children and make them feel accepted regardless of what they choose to wear.
“Somehow, the world decided that boys belong in blue and girls belong in pink and anything other than that is weird or strange and in some ways frowned upon,” King told People magazine. “As if allowing a boy to wear purple or hot pink is steering them in the wrong direction.”
And that’s the beauty of fashion – there is no right or wrong. Think of rock legends like David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days or Jaden Smith rocking a skirt in this year’s Louis Vuitton campaign. In the end, it’s called a fashion statement, not a gender one.