9 Ungendered: The Future of Fashion

Keywords: Fashion; Identity; LGBTQ; Non-Conformity

The Fashion industry has been used to construct and reinforce the gender binary, but is it possible the same industry is now being used to deconstruct it? Feminist Theorist, Judith Butler, defined gender as something one does or performs, not something one is; it is a result of repeated gender performance (2004). Meaning, no gender exists on its own, it is brought into existence and meaning through performative acts. Through institutions like fashion, individuals are able to express and perform their gender identities.

Fashion has predominantly serviced the binary, however, it also has been a successful instrument in creating space in society for those who identify outside of it. The term “gender nonconformity is used as a way to signify that one’s gender expression breaks cultural expectations for ‘normatively’ doing gender” (West and Zimmerman 1987). Gender identities such as trans, queer and non binary are considered gender nonconforming. The visibility of gender non-concomfority identities, accepted or not, implies the existence of choice outside the binary. Society has been structured to acknowledge masculine and feminine as the right choice for individuals, and the consequence for non-conformity has been unequal treatment in the forms of harrassment and violence towards trans, queer, and non binary individuals. Through institutions in both public and private relationships, the binary is reinforced constantly, and any behaviour outside of it is not only discouraged, but traditionally punished. Violence against those living outside the binary has been an ongoing issue in society, particularly against the Trans community. The notion of gender as a binary should not be pursued at the cost of lives. Societal norms and roles surrounding gender fuel the division amongst gender identities and impede empathy while encouraging the ‘othering’ of individuals. It is arguable over time, with greater exposure and inclusion within society, the heteronormative gender norms and rules which encourage violence and aggression towards trans and non binary individuals will decrease in power, if not be rejected completely. By acknowledging the presence of a new market, adapting retail environments to be more inclusive, and providing more visibility of gender nonconformity individuals inevitably decreases the power the binary holds over society. Fashion as a means of gender performance undeniably challenges the gender binary and its ‘natural’ place within the industry, and in turn, society.

Fashion is not naturally gendered. Society assigns, enforces and polices the use of gender. The industry traditionally has adhered to the binary: male/female. In the West, society is organized by a patriarchal system of governance, with men and women being physically, biologically, and anatomically different thus normalizing the differential treatment of genders. Gender norms are entrenched in society and policed through our relationships, institutions and at times in history, the criminal code. Until 2012, if a person was diagnosed as Transgender, it was considered a disorder under the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (Lee 2012). In the United States, during the 1950s-60s, police in New York and other American cities enforced a “three-item rule” which enforced citizens to wear three articles of clothing that reflected their assigned sex at birth. Trans and LGBT people were victimized and routinely harassed under this law. There was little to no incentive for fashion as an industry to service or adopt practices that would cater to those outside the gender binary at the time. Yet, moments of social activism by the LGBTQ community such as the StoneWall Riot of 1969 in New York City brought the unequal treatment and level of violence enacted upon trans and queer individuals to public attention. StoneWall created exposure to the injustices endured, while creating empathy in the general public for gender non-conformity and encouraged the deconstruction of gender. Events such as StoneWall, ultimately paved the way for institutions like fashion to continue to challenge its inflexibility and power in society.

During World War II, women and other minority groups entered areas of society that had been traditionally been closed off from, including the military and workforce. Once the war was over, there was a pushback from women and other groups for everything to return to ‘normal.’ Individuals who were not visible in society were looking to create space for themselves. The fashion industry took notice. Introduced by American fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, unisex clothing “implied a neutral non-gendered style, and to an androgynous style- a subcategory of unisex- which has the characterstics of both masculinity and femininity” (Myriam 2019). Women not only entered new areas of society, but were outwardly encouraged to do so for the war effort. The traditional feminine choice options at the time no longer appropriately reflected the lives of the women they were servicing, thus fashion designers challenged the binary and provided a new choice based on the old market’s new need, working clothes. Throughout history, gender and fashion have always intersected. Sociologists Patrik Aspers and Frederic Godart argue “fashion is inherently performative, as a source of negotiated societal change rather than a mirror of social structure” (2013). In line with Butler’s argument of gender being performative, fashion is used as a form of expression, and means to perform our most inner identities to the outer world. Mirroring the social activism seen in the 60s by the gay community, Trans individuals are currently fighting for equal treatment and space in society. Fashion can be seen paralleling these societal shifts towards gender equality with the introduction of unisex fashion in the 60s and the introduction of genderless or gender neutral fashion in the twenty-first century/today. Dr. Joanne Entwistle suggests “our body is not just the place from which we come to experience the world; it is through our bodies that we come to see and be in the world” (Reddy-Best 2020). As society undergoes a new process of socialization, it is moving away from gender as a fixed binary system, to a fluid one, rife with choice. As a result, fashion went from servicing an exclusive male/female market, to dressing bodies of all gender identities.

Mainstream fashion is meant for the conventional, ‘normal’ everyday clothes and bodies one would see going out to the grocery store. Men dress typically in plain, mundane looking clothing, attempting to ascribe to society’s ideas of masculinity. Women dress typically in more light colours, extra accessories etc. attempting to ascribe to the ideals of femininity. Fashion retailers traditionally have provided service and dress options that mirrored the societal norms of gender as either/or. When mainstream fashion was willing to service the burgeoning new market of trans and gender nonconforming identities in the mid 2000s, the LGBTQ community began to serve themselves. In 2012, Mary Going founded a startup company ‘Saint Harridan’ that would meet the needs of those outside the binary. Predominantly run online, Saint Harridan “began producing apparel and accessories that could be worn during these new same-sex or same-gender weddings, in addition to other everyday spaces”(Reddy-Best 2020). In Canada, same sex marriage has only been legal since 2005, and only in 2015 did the United States Supreme Court legalize it in all fifty states. By providing formal wear that sparked confidence and matched the consumer’s identity, it allowed for society to see flourishing examples of gender non-conformity and develop feelings of familiarity towards identities typically presented as the ‘other’ or wrong. Saint Harridan’s success as a company catering to trans men and masculine women also undermines French philosopher Michel Foucault (1977) “analysis of the body as a docile and passive object upon which power or knowledge is enacted.” Consumers of Saint Harridan showed great individual agency during a period when society was pressuring them to conform their bodies to our ideals rather than their own.

In 2015, Selfridges & Co., a chain of high end department stores, took it a step further when they opened a new store titled Agender. The creative director for the space, Faye Toogood “chose not to divide the space according to binary labels and used intentionally neutral packaging to free from preconceptions that would ordinarily colour such purchases (Bardey 2020). Providing spaces in mainstream retail for genders outside the binary is fundamentally key to furthering gender equality in society, and deconstructing the strict rules regarding even what the binary itself should look like. Western society routinely favours cisgender male and females, yet it is worthy to consider whether eliminating a standard or model of strictly male or female appearance would decrease preferential treatment based on gender. How would the differential treatment of genders be impacted if dress and fashion could no longer indicate gender at all?

As gender roles are deconstructed and shifted in society, fashion’s role as an industry also comes into question. From its onset, “the traditional fashion industry has been providing design and service based on gender identity; however, masculinity and femininity have diversified with the advent of genderless fashion trends and thus current consumers independently define and express their gender identity” (Kim et al 2022). It no longer provides a comfortable or easily navigable pathway for shoppers when options are only presented as two choices of gender. Thus with the introduction of unisex and the current trend of genderless/ gender neutral clothing, the fashion industry’s new role is to provide choice for identity expression. No longer should it attempt to dictate a gender identity onto consumers.

Fashion is a profit driven industry, which means the market and securing profits can be seen as its main motivators. Historically, it has not been viable to provide gender neutral choice in mainstream fashion. Whether it be in production and design, retailers, or the marketing itself. At present, research has indicated the market fashion serves, along with their capital, are no longer satisfied with the binary approach to fashion. A recent study shows “fifty-six percent of Gen-Z consumers who have a spending power of over 140 billion dollars shop outside of their designated gendered area” (Kim et al 2022). Gen-Z cohort ages range from 10-25 in 2022, these individuals are being socialized in a time where gender is not exclusively male or female, but proliferation of choices are available in the expression of identity. As they continue to enter the market as consumers, the demand to reduce the pressure to conform to masculine or feminine ideals will increase. The effects of internalizing male or female as the only right and moral options for identity can lead to detrimental effects for those who do not fit those identities. This leads to poor mental health and a lack of self expression. It also produces an environment of oppression, and very little understanding or empathy for those who will not ‘conform.’

In the study, ‘Analyzing Genderless Fashion Trends of Consumers’ Perceptions on Social Media,’ showed consumers’ interest in genderless fashion has grown rapidly; both consumers’ and media news outlets posts continue to increase, especially in 2020, when it doubled compared to 2019 (Kim et al 2022). It is unlikely the fashion industry will ever be fully genderless. However, society is currently undergoing a process of socialization to normalize gender as a fluid construct. It no longer is the most economical choice for the fashion industry to adhere to the norms and rules of the binary. As the gender conversation evolves, it could imply a gender fluid approach adopted at all levels of fashion.

From large fashion houses to mainstream fast fashion companies, the industry is publicly challenging our understanding of gender by providing new imagery of masculinity, femininity, and the blurring of the two. Starting at the top, high end fashion has made space for the creation and execution of designs that continue to push the limitations of fashion based on gender. In 2015, Alessandro Michele was hired by Gucci as the new creative director for the company, his collections providing inspiring new imagery on the notions of masculinity and femininity. Still organized under the division of male/female, his second menswear collection has been described as “‘defining,’ compromising garments that incorporated ‘ruffles, bows, embroidery, applique, lace and jacquards’”(Clark and Rossi 2020). His willingness to play with the constructs of gender in clothing, allows for fashion icons and celebrities in society- who wield tremendous influence on what is accepted or not- to introduce new images of how gender may be performed. In December of 2020, Vogue, a well-known American fashion magazine, presented an alternative form of masculinity by posing Harry Styles as the first male on the cover appearing in a custom-made blue Gucci dress (Wheeler 2020). Styles has an enormous following of fans spanning from fashion to music to film, the level of audience a person such as Styles reaches is incredibly powerful, particularly when it comes to the spreading of messages. Using Styles as the face of a controversial move by the industry will help ease the moral discomfort of many individuals who believe it is ‘wrong’ for men to wear dresses. The choice of Harry Styles did however, receive some criticisms from the the queer community. American actor Billy Porter, who is famous for his ‘Tuxedo gown’ at the 2019 Oscars, criticized Vogue’s decision, commenting “I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars and not be gunned now. All he has to do is be white and straight” (Carras 2021). It is important to have allies outside the queer community who are willing to advocate for the fair and equal treatment of all individuals regardless of their identification. However, Porter is highlighting the importance of examining how the intersections of a person’s gender, race, and class determines the level of opportunities and freedoms granted to them in and by society. A queer black man, who has lived the experience of being oppressed by the gender binary, would have made visible to society how oppression intersects for many individuals of society in regard to race, sexuality, gender, etc. Such an analysis, while important, falls outside the scope of this paper. It is also noteworthy that Mr. Styles has never publicly confirmed nor denied his sexuality or gender identity to the public.

High end fashion or couture fashion has always provided society with larger than life choices for dress, and challenged mainstream ideals of what garments should or should not look like. It is rather significant for the trend of gender neutral clothing to enter the mainstream market and everyday fashions when it holds such a controversial political charge. However, in 2016, “global fashion brand Zara introduced its ‘ungendered’ line: the collection harkened back to the 1960s ‘unisex’ while also referencing the fact that the featured garments are standard everyday wear for many women and men, typically distinguished only according to size and fit” (Clark and Rossi 2020). Whether consumers are shopping online or in store, providing a collection that is ‘without gender’ will challenge consumers ideas about what makes a garment mens, womens, unisex, and now without gender? By providing a welcoming space for those outside the binary, it also allows for open dialogue about gender. It allows for questions like what makes a T-shirt masculine or feminine? And who is allowed or should wear it? Critics of the ‘ungendered’ line have argued ‘the industry seems focused on a masculine style for all genders, erasing femme identities and perpetuating a standard that femininity is still very narrowly defined and only acceptable for a limited scope of identities” (Clark and Rossi 2020). Many of the current ungendered fashion lines consist of basic t-shirts, sweatpants, and lounge wear which have toed the line of more masculine ideals with neutral tones and non-fitted silhouettes. Ultimately, not putting forth any new designs or creations but simply relabelling more popular male lines. It has been a valid critique of ‘ungendered’ clothing to over represent masculine apparel, however, it is a safer guarantee from a business perspective to continue the existing trends of masculine dress being adopted by individuals other than cismen. It is still easier in the Western world for women to appear manly than it is for men to appear feminine. It does seem rather impossible to remove the category of masculine or feminine altogether from garments; Yet the introduction of ungendered lines further deconstructs the gender binary by challenging the inflexibility of the structure and allows for a more fluid movement between the two.

To return to the original question posed at the beginning, will the future of the Fashion industry be without gender? It is rather unlikely. The gender binary is the foundational structure on which the institution of fashion was built. Although a complete erasure of gender is not on the horizon, the deconstruction of the Western understanding of gender is in full force. By utilizing the fashion industry as an instrument, non-conforming gender identities are triumphantly reducing the binary’s power in society. Increasing the visibility and awareness of the LGBTQ community in fashion, through avenues like marketing, further normalizes the creation of space for them in society. Future research should investigate the consumer patterns of gender neutral or genderless collections from high fashion to everyday street wear. Further research is necessary on the production and design of clothing intended for trans individuals and non binary individuals, focusing on design structure and appropriate measurements. Feminist theorists should also focus on the intersection of fashion and gender to further investigate how the deconstruction of gender is unfolding in society and the resulting consequences. Fashion in sociology has traditionally been overlooked, consequently, there are endless avenues of opportunity for further research. As long as gender is a part of society, it will continue to construct and be constructed by fashion.

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