Do you feel free, genderfree?
- Simone
- 8 jan 2016
- 2 minuten om te lezen
‘Don’t define me as a men or a woman. Define me as a human.’
This seems to be the slogan of today’s society. People are more and more done with being labelled. Lots of designer and big brands are picking up this development. British department store ‘Selfridges’ even came up with a totally new shopping system. Inside their two ‘Agender-stores’ the clothes are presented in a neutral way. The focus lays on your personal preferences and nothing else. This idea of Selfridges of course is a really cool example of the gender free-market. Unfortunately, not all brands get the message right.
What is it?
In the beginning of March Zara released their new clothing line ‘ungendered’. I assume that Zara had the right intensions for creating this line, but it has caused a lot of controversy. The 10 pieces that they have designed are at least very plain, simple, colour- and shapeless. On twitter you can come across many angry reactions towards Zara and I can’t prove them wrong. Honestly some of the items remind me a little of something a hobo would wear. The label ‘ungendered’ does not make a shapeless white t-shirt anymore appealing to me.
A spokesperson of Inditex (Zara’s parentcompany) explains the thought behind their new line to the media: "The launch of this capsule is resultant and organically linked to our proximity with the customers – this closeness plays an intrinsic role in the design process, in that our proposals are drawn from their needs and demands."
In other words, Zara is trying to fulfil their customers needs.
Why is it cool?
I read an article in Volkskrant Magazine called ‘Unigeks’ that explained both the free fashion-movement and its drawback. Evelien van Veen writes about the fact that the thing that we call genderfree fashion often leans way more to the masculine side of the spectrum. She states that it is probably just easier to dress like one sex, than dress like no sex.
Exactly the same thing you can see in Zara’s collection. There’s no dress or skirt, just hoodies and T-shirts.
Evelien in her article also questions something else about dressing genderfree. Wearing clothing without definition should be liberation but does one really feel free when wearing an outfit that could in no way give away your identity? Do you feel happy and free whilst walking around in brown bermuda pants and a big grey hoodie? I know I wouldn’t.
Where is the bold and fashion-forward unisex clothing?
I think brands like Zara are giving in to the old image of unisex fashion, but that’s not what this new movement is about. It’s about getting rid of labels but not getting rid of identification. We still want clothes with character, just not specifically for one sex. Maybe it would be a good thing if these brands would invest in more co-creation projects. I’m sure many members of the genderfree-community would love to advise brands. Just think about all the unique and innovative clothing items they could create together!
What sources did I use?
Volkskrant Magazine 12 maart 2016, artikel ‘Unigeks’
http://www.stylink.nl/blogs/3-blogs/2667-gender-retail-stijlgroep-doelgroep-selfridges-branding (afbeelding 1)
Always wonder,
Simone
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