Spring Summer 2019 sees designers introducing gender-neutral pieces, which work for men’s body types, too
Tibi’s Spring Summer 2019 showcase underscored many gender-less codes: suiting, shirting and denim. Her slouchy tailoring and pastel palette are likely to appeal to both boys and girls. Monse’s opening model was a guy sporting messy hair and a relaxed-fit V-neck marinière knit accented with strings of pearls. Their oversized pieces with extra-long sleeves work for both men and women. It was a similar story on the runway of Eckhaus Latta. At London Fashion Week, Erdem Moralioglu’s muses were two Victorian men, cross-dressers who were nightlife celebrities and by day lived quietly as sisters. Back home, Chola presented an un-gender line at the recently concluded fashion week. What does one attribute this to? And do experts see it gaining momentum in the coming seasons?
Men Need To Adopt
There is a lot of talk about Un-gender and gender neutral, it’s most often the translation of men’s clothing for women. Fashion writer Nishat Fatima says, “While women have adopted, trousers, suits, brogues, oxfords, shorts, fisherman’s knits, men haven’t adopted a thing from women’s wardrobes. So I’ll believe in un-gender when men wear skirts, dresses and heels and you can’t distinguish between the sexes, not because women are wearing men’s clothing but because no gender has been assigned to clothing.”
Celebrates Individuality And Inclusivity
One of the active discussions in the present revolves around breaking away from the gender binary. And stylist Prayag Menon attributes this trend to exactly that. “Each person is an individual first, not compartmentalised by gender, sex and so forth. Fashion is a force that is constantly influenced by issues; be it political, sexual or social. Gender neutral or unisexual pieces offer inclusivity; I do see it gaining momentum in the coming weeks,” says Prayag.
Versatile-Yet-Timeless Usability
Unisex clothing has definitely reached at a point in the retail segment where mass retailers such as H&M have been dedicating a rack of such asexual, gender-neutral silhouettes and styles. Designer and visiting faculty at Istituto Marango, Aniket Satam says, “The designer brigade locally as well as seen on the international runways of NYFW of SS 19 have explored this concept in mainstream fashion. The focus for gender-neutral clothing is on comfortable style lines, which falls equally beautiful on men’s and women’s bodies. This design philosophy is devoid of gender-specific detailing and surface ornamentation. The timeless simplicity and clean minimalism of these pieces make them sustainable for many years to come. Gender neutral clothing is the perfect design solution to the evils of fast fashion where products are created with conscious attempt to create fashion with versatile-yet-timeless usability.”
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