Blurred Lines

A few years ago, a friend sent me an article about Selfridge's new Agender space. The Agender space was an area within the department store that offered a unique genderless shopping experience. It contained clothing which did not fall into any particular category of gender. As Faye Toogood, designer of the space, explained, "Selfridges' ambition was to create a space where men and women could essentially come and shop together irrespective of gender, and that you would choose clothes as an individual rather than based on your gender."

Since then, I have been planning to write a blog post about the concept of gender-neutral fashion. I found it a compelling idea, yet push did not come to shove until now, when gender and sexuality are finally spotlighted by the current zeitgeist. Gender-neutral fashion could not be a more topical conversation.

However, before we get started, I think it important to establish some basic definitions to ensure we work off a common foundation of terminology. The broadly accepted definition of gender is the characteristic of being - traditionally speaking - masculine and feminine. I see gender as separate from sex and sexuality, and although there may be correlations, gender (and sexuality) are not determined by sex. To me, gender is identity, not anatomy.

So with that, let's talk about fashion.

Before I was introduced to the idea of gender-neutral fashion, I was familiar with androgyny. Androgyny is when one mixes masculine and feminine characteristics to create an ambiguous gender, and although this manner of presentation is essentially gender-neutral, androgyny was often superficially depicted in fashion as a woman in menswear-inspired clothing. So the extent of my knowledge only reached as far as knowing that people could identify or dress as the opposite gender. The moment my eyes were truly opened was when I read The Worn Archive, a subversive Canadian fashion magazine. It contained an article showcasing individuals who identified as gender-neutral.

And I was fascinated.

It never occurred to me that in addition to dressing as the opposite gender, one could completely defy gender binaries by dressing as an individual who is neither masculine nor feminine...but also at the same time kind of both masculine and feminine. I was blown away by the multi-faceted intricacy of such an identity. In the article, these individuals described the difficulties they faced shopping in traditional department stores. Those with female bodies may have wished to buy a menswear item, but had trouble finding sizing and clothing designed for their body shape. Or vice versa.

And so it was timely when Selfridge came out with their Agender space; a space where individuals were free to buy clothing that appealed to them rather than their supposed gender. Last year, Burberry and Vetements announced they would be combining menswear and womenswear into one show. Although that did not necessarily mean they would be designing gender-neutral clothing, it was a symbolic acknowledgement that the gender divide is blurring. Likewise when designers pared down womenswear and electrified menswear as a way of encouraging sartorial diversity and liberty. Nowadays, we are seeing more and more clothing that is genuinely transferable between genders. As society begins to break down barriers between 'him' and 'her', clothing itself will need to evolve. Evidently, the wheels of that process are already in motion.

Yet this is a conversation that will continue to grow and transform. In fact, only recently did I discover gender fluidity: the act of shifting between genders. Absolutely incredible. As discourse expands, what will that mean for fashion? The industry has always kept its finger on the pulse of revolution and rebellion, and I have no doubt it will react to the rumblings of change we feel now. Dressing is such an intimate and personal exercise that everyone should feel comfortable making fashion their own. Fashion is self-expression. Gender is a choice. So then let's give people that choice in fashion.

Image Source: Dazed, Madame Figaro, Qwear, Travelshopa