You’ve probably heard people ask this question time and time again. Does fashion have a gender?
Many have argued and stated that clothes do not have a gender just as there isn’t any one way to dress feminine or masculine.
Gender fluidity has been in the limelight in recent years with some celebrities embracing it including Jaden Smith, Young Thug, Sam Smith and Harry Styles, and even some of your favorites celebs like Somizi, Lasizwe and the likes.
Through these celebrities, gender norms have been challenged and more awareness has since been created.
So what is gender fashion, one would ask? This is simply the freedom of people to choose how they want to dress. It is a style of design that has gained designers and stores attention in recent years as more and more people are embracing it off the runway.
Rad Hourani is one of the designers who has been credited in being the first one to launch a unisex, gender neutral brand.
The trend that started in the early 20th century saw fashionistas such as Coco Chanel and Katherine Hepburn embrace it to the fullest and it has continued to garner massive attention even to date.
It has so far been an emerging fashion trend that continues to dominate the streets globally and has gone as far as being showcased on the international runway. It apparently makes people happy, reason why it’s on the rise, this is according to the various fashion designers.
Both unisex and gender neutral are words used to describe this kind of dressing although the collections usually lead towards one gender.
This was evident and well showcased at The New York Fashion Week where various designers challenged gender conforming fashion through their various collections. The designs represented their fall/ winter collection.
The designs on the runway embraced a future of fashion that appears largely absent of gender constructs.
The fashion week has led the way for other designers to flout the clothing binary with collections challenging the traditional notions of “menswear” and “womenswear”.
While all this is going on, designers have been key to emphasise that that fashion is simply meant to exist as a vehicle for self-expression.
