Why Genderless Fashion is Not Going Out of Style Anytime Soon
Proenza Schouler Fall/Winter 2015
On the surface, the official Instagram account of Proenza Schouler presents carefully-curated snapshots that reinforce the brand’s message of forward-thinking luxury. Close-up shots of runway pieces like a grey mélange tweed top that ties like an enormous knot in the back showcase technical details. A picture of Moda Operandi’s Lauren Santo Domingo clad in a custom neon-yellow dress at the recent Met Gala last month lends a touch of aspirational glamour. There is even a playful interactive weekly series called “Fantasy Ad Friday” that invites the label’s followers to submit mock ad campaigns using the label’s logo overlaid on top of artsy-looking found images. But it’s the designer’s tagged photo feed (a ceaselessly-expanding pool of pictures generated by fashion-obsessed users who “tag” Proenza Schouler in their own posts) that reveals the way the label is worn off the runway — and by whom. Amongst the sea of women posting images of their fringe suede shoes, pleated metallic skirts and the label’s ubiquitous PS1 handbags, there are, somewhat surprisingly, also quite a few male peacocks that have incorporated some of the label’s graphic T-shirts and over-the-shoulder purses into their wardrobe.
Take Petar C, a 26-year-old pharmacy student living in Zagreb, Croatia who runs the “Leather Scent Blog,” a street-wear site that he models, writes and styles for himself. A recent set of photos he posted shows him modeling sneakers by Nike, Diesel jeans, a Zara jacket and a dark green PS1 bag. “The gender of such accessories is not an issue for me because I will buy what I like,” he said. “Your main concern must be your feelings toward the item you’re buying and nothing else. Either you love it or not.” Last February, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the label’s designers, seemed to wink at their growing male fan base by sending the first ever male model down their runway.
Mr. Hernandez and Mr. McCollough certainly aren’t the only designers penciling in new ideas of a post-gender style rulebook. Hood By Air, the critically-acclaimed label started by Shayne Oliver, has long enlisted the gender-flexible female performance artist named Boy Child as its chief ambassador. Several months ago, Mr. Oliver was shot for T Magazine wearing a women’s peach camisole. Jonathan Anderson graces the current cover of the 10th anniversary edition of Fantastic Man, the influential men’s style magazine, in pieces from his debut Spring 2015 women’s collection for Loewe. The Business of Fashion, citing an uptick in men buying women’s brands such as Celine and women crossing the isle to try on men’s pieces from labels like Givenchy, even went as far to ask, “Will genderless fashion change retail?”
Selfridge’s, a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom, seems to think it just might. Last March they opened “Agender,” a “gender-neutral space” designed by Faye Toogood that spans 3 floors of their Oxford Street location. Industrial and intentionally discreet (many items are tucked inside white garment bags that a customer must unzip to try on), the space sells unisex pieces by designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Jacquemus, Hood by Air and Nicola Formichetti’s androgynous line Nicopanda. (Two more concepts will open in their Manchester and Birmingham stores later this year.) “For us, Agender is not about harnessing a ‘trend’ but rather tapping into a mind-set and acknowledging and responding a cultural shift that is happening now,” said Linda Hewson, Selfridges’ creative director. “The project will act as a test bed for experimentation around ideas of gender, both to allow our shoppers to approach the experience without preconceptions and for us as retailers to move the way we shop fashion forward.”
Some in the industry see attitudes towards gender neutrality changing off the rack just as quickly. “I think this new sense of ease around what you wear has to do with this open conversation about sexuality and gender in pop culture,” said Jay Massacret, a stylist who works for V Magazine and Kenzo. Just last week, Miley Cyrus made waves recently after she told Out magazine, “I don’t relate to what people would say defines a girl or a boy.” And at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in April, Jaden Smith was snapped wearing a a large headdress of red roses paired with a floral mini-dress.
For designers like Mr. Formichetti, the moment to think outside of the gender box is now. “I can’t believe in my life time that a big institution like Selfridge’s is embracing this fluid idea of both sexes,” he said. “It’s about time we think of an amazing unisex world for boys, girls and everyone in between.”
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