Genderless Fashion: The Meaning Behind The Movement

Androgynous fashion refers to a style that aims to avoid gender stereotyping. Androgyny plays on the ambiguity of not presenting as a stereotypical boy, or a conventional girl.

Although seemingly a new movement in the industry, androgynous fashion stems back to the 1920’s, when women tired of wearing corsets and balloon skirts. Coco Chanel was a pioneer in the movement, rebelling against feminine styling and paved the way to styling menswear in an elegant way. Chanel was often photographed in nautical stripes and hats paired with loose fitting trousers or chunky knits.

This movement accelerated and was further pushed into the mainstream in the 80’s when the power-pant-suit with loose trousers and shoulder pads was popularised. This was a way to break the glass ceiling in the business world, with the masculine clothes disguising feminine figures to create authority in a male dominated world. ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher was nearly always wearing a suit and claimed that in a man’s world, she had to look the part. It’s safe to say she is definitely not remembered for her feminine figure or empathetic decisions.

This undercurrent of genderless fashion continued and more recently, can be seen by subtle (and obvious) femininities sneaking into menswear collections.

Arrival of Louis Vuitton menswear designer Virgil Abloh shook up the 2019 collection with Michael Jackson inspired menswear that had feminine aspects running through the whole collection.

Louis Vuitton AW19 featured pleated, draping skirts paired with boxy, cargo hoodies and jackets. Undeniably breaking gender moulds.

Writing this the day after the December 2020 Vogue cover of Harry Styles, pictured wearing a dress by Gucci was released, it’s clear to see that the genderless fashion movement is gaining more and more traction. Harry stated in an interview with The Guardian; “People are asking why not? a lot more which excites me. It’s not just clothes where the lines are being blurred, I think it’s going across so many things... sexuality too.” And in the most recent Vogue, he claims that people shouldn’t be “limiting themselves” with their lifestyles or fashion, and it should be used for a creative outlet.We all know that fashion mirrors societal change. With binary genders holding less power, androgynous fashion can be a safe haven for people who identify as genderfluid to creatively express their identity, without having to stray from mainstream fashion. The lines between the traditional genders are being blurred and it’s becoming more easy to view gender as a continuum rather than as binary poles. With help from influences like Harry Styles and transgender model Casil Mcarthur, who walks for Marc Jacobs and Coach, fashion can continue to strive for inclusivity in every aspect.

Fashion is already a forward thinking industry when it comes to gender but I have no doubt with the generational shift, it will only increase normalisation of different identities. Let the revolution begin.

Harry Styles in Gucci for Vogue by Tyler Mitchell

Words by Beccy Read