In recent years, influencers and celebrities have been helping to push the boundaries of gender and prove that style really doesn’t have a gender, simply because why should it? Evidently it is possible to reject the binary gender identity framework as there has been an increase of brands introducing bigger lines of gender neutral clothing. Speaking to the brand Zoah, an inclusive underwear brand, they help us understand what it really takes to create a brand that tailors to the unique needs of their clients and why representation is so important.
Inclusivity
The term inclusivity is thrown around quite a bit these days and as it should. Often or not, brands overlook diverse communities whether that be trans individuals, people with disabilities or just people who don’t confirm to gender binaries. The need for inclusivity should be a forefront thought for companies creating fashion as the way we dress ultimately is a form of expression for some, where we can freely and creatively express who we are to others. Zoah highlighted that their brand reflects on what inclusive products would mean to their clients and from this have said that:
The newer generation of trans+ people, people that don’t want to be objectified or made to feel like they have to look a certain way in order to be valid.
Gendered clothes almost always restricts us to whether someone is male or female. We see this from such a young age with parents dressing their children in pink or blue clothes that include stereotypical narratives such as dinosaurs for boys and cute fluffy animals for girls. As we get older, clothes for girls are made at a small size to give a more tighter fit and mens clothing is more plain and looser. Some big brands such as Collusion have begun to recognise this and tried to overcome this issue by offering a unisex section in their outlet for individuals who don’t fit in the gender binaries of male or female. The growth of online shopping can be viewed as a positive for trans and non-binary individuals as it allows them to shop freely for products without the fear of judgement they may receive when shopping in stores that are commonly sectioned into men and women.
Representation
Representation goes hand in hand with inclusivity when It comes to every branding. In business terms, you will be massively limiting your audience and potential customers if you only appeal to a certain group but sometimes that Is ok if your team only represents that certain group. In order to create a representative brand, it is important to have people on your team that can help create products for the intended audience.
The brand Zoah was created when the founder Daniella couldn’t find tucking underwear suited to her trans needs. She found that the market for trans underwear was either over-sexualised or highly feminine so sought to create a product that stepped away from this. When creating tucking underwear, Daniella and her team knew how to produce underwear that was representative of the trans and non-binary community because of their lived experiences. We have seen not just in clothing lines, brands missing the mark on representation because they don’t have a diverse team bringing forward ideas, just look at some make up brands and their distasteful lack in shade range because the brand is run predominantly by white individuals.
When asked whether brands should offer a trans inclusive section, Daniella from Zoah gave a useful insight by saying:
Yes and no, I think all brands should be looking at how gender focused their products lines are, I do a lot of consultation work on this topic with brands, but I can also completely see why some brands don’t do it, because they arent trans led and a lot of the time don’t have trans people in their teams, so it would be completely inauthentic to do it.
Following from this, brands should begin by looking inwards and question how they can do better in becoming more representative. A key suggestion to this is build a more diverse team and collaborate with more queer creators.
Where to shop
When shopping for gender-neutral clothes online, it can be as simple as looking at what’s to offer in the male and female section. However some brands have made It their mission to create clothes that can be suited to any body and also doesn’t lean into gender norms. Here are a few high and low priced brands you could potentially shop at next!