A few weeks ago the British retailer, Selfridges, announced the launch of gender-neutral clothing lines in their stores. Rather than having separate departments for men and women, customers will now have three floors of unisex clothing at their disposal. In addition they are replacing all their mannequins with gender-neutral ones. In a recent interview with The Times they explained their reasoning behind these changes, stating that they wanted to create a space where customers “can shop or dress without limitations or stereotypes.”
Fashion is constantly evolving and keeping up with the current zeitgeists. Whereas extremely feminine and masculine styles were favorable prior to the 1900’s, fashion has moved in a more expressive and open direction. People want to wear clothing that expresses them as a person, not abiding by stereotypical gender norms by dressing like a “male” or “female.” Fashion designers have noticed this change and have put that mentality into their collections by incorporating masculine styles into women’s collections and vice versa.
It is important that the fashion industry continues to move in this direction. Gender-neutral clothing should not be something solely for adults, it should be implemented in all children’s clothing stores as well. At such a young age we learn pink is for girls, blue is for boys and are taught to believe that straying from our color is wrong. Take, for example, the company Sewing Circus. They are an excellent example of gender-neutral clothing for children. On their website they do not separate their clothing by “girl” or “boy”, rather, the age of the child.
We still have a ways to go before all retailers fully embrace gender-neutral clothing. However, the industry is making significant strides in being more accepting by catering to people of all different genders. It is important that we support this movement to create an environment where people do not feel stereotyped, ashamed, or judged. Fashion is not for males and females; it is for everyone, regardless of your gender.