Without boundaries: Gender-neutral fashion

©LML Studios PR Getty for NOWADAYS
©LML Studios PR Getty for NOWADAYS

Gender-neutral, gender-fluid, genderless: fashion without gender boundaries


Even if smaller brands or individual collections of larger brands have specialized in genderless fashion so far: Gender-neutral fashion and its common genderfluid presentation is becoming more and more present on catwalks. A sign that fashion beyond gender is a trend that reflects the social change in: to appeal to all people - regardless of gender. 
 
Playing with or overcoming gender attributes
 
There is a wide spectrum of labels experimenting with playing with gender stereotypes in clothing, dissolving them or overcoming a binary view entirely. The discussion is not only about shapes and cuts, but also about colors, materials and fabrics previously attributed to male or female, feminine or masculine. Thus, in addition to unisex collections that are rather close to a one-fits-all principle, there are those that more or less playfully aim to underline one's own individuality and the human body in its uniqueness through fashion, irrespective of gender. Minimalist approaches and simple forms are juxtaposed with extravagant outfits with unconventional materials. 
 
For some designers, the gender aspect no longer plays a role in the clothing design process. They no longer create for men's and women's clothing, but for specific purposes and body regions. For them, it is a matter of no longer gendering clothing in principle, but of mixing gender expressions in fashion.
 
Berlin brands - from minimalist to extravagant
 
Different approaches to how fashion can function in a gender-insensitive way are also reflected in the diverse designs of Berlin brands. Gender-neutral labels with a minimalist approach include, for example, the founders of UY Studio from Berlin-Neukölln, the skin-couture-experienced French Aurelia Paumelle in Prenzlauer Berg and Kolo Berlin, who also forgo seasonal trends with their streetwear. 
 
Neukölln-based New Yorker Olivia Ballard explicitly does not want to dissolve gender categories, but actively plays with them with genderfluid but feminine designs. And labels like LML Studio and Impopsible, for example, create rather extravagant wearable works of art regardless of gender.