Decoding gender-neutral clothing

In simple terms, Gender-Neutral clothing or androgynous clothing can be classified as unisex clothing. However, it is much more political than that. To know this, we must understand the difference between gender and sex. Sex is something which is biological and assigned to us by birth, gender however is a social construct. Gender roles are defined and shaped by society, history and social conditioning of the time. Gender Neutrality thus breaks away from this conditioned notion of gender and acquires a more free and inclusive space. Gender Neutrality is a move towards a world that doesn’t distinguish between genders through societal forms like language, colours or even clothing.

NEED OF THE HOUR

Not only gender-neutral clothing is “trendy”, but it is also the need of the hour. Individuals need to feel more free, comfortable, and occupy a safe space without the fear of being judged for any choice that they make. The clothes under gender-neutral clothing don’t come with the label “for men” or “for women”. It is also a move towards the larger ideology that fashion is genderless; it is neither masculine nor feminine. It is for everyone, for every fit, size or body type.

INCLUSIVE FASHION IS ON THE RISE

Fashion has always evolved with people and also can significantly influence them. With the world becoming bold, free, safe and inclusive, it is fair that fashion had to comply. To suit the needs of individuals to be accepted as they are and make choices that are gender fluid, there have to be options available. There are several collections and lines by leading brands which are a move toward a genderless world. The value of self-worth is over everything. Equl store is one of a kind and India’s first complete gender-neutral clothing brand. From sizing to design, everything is very thoughtfully crafted. Their sizes are kept bigger than the usual standard size to promote physical and psychological ease. Their “Feel Good Collection” is crafted to make you feel good, of your choices and also to highlight the fact that they use sustainable fabric.

GENDER-NEUTRAL FASHION IS MORE SUSTAINABLE

Gender Neutrality is not just a fashion trend; rather it’s a fashion revolution for which the world was waiting for. It makes a positive political and sustainable statement. With the same number of options available, there is no need to rebrand the market or fit them separately thereby reducing the burden on the planet.

PROMOTES A POSITIVE BODY IMAGE

Gender-Neutral fashion also promotes a healthy body image. It breaks away from the notion of what is “desirable” and normalises both petite and plus sizes. Each style is available in all sizes promoting that there is no one normal or accepted body size. Fashion and style exist for everyone and there is no play of size in the same. There are brands that are trying to break this notion by basing their entire market positioning on neutral and sustainable clothing.

HELPS YOU OWN YOUR CHOICES

Since gender-neutral clothing doesn’t conform to one gender or one size, it enables an individual to be unapologetically themselves and own their choices. It is a move away from what society or generational conditioning has taught us to be like: Skinny girls should wear fitted clothes, boys shouldn’t wear pink, and people who weigh more should wear loosely fitted clothes. Gender-neutral clothing promotes being unabashedly you. To reinforce this idea, Equl store’s collection name is ‘The Feel Good Collection’ which as its name suggests is made to help you feel good about yourself and also the planet since they use sustainable hemp and cotton fabric. “It also promotes you to be effortlessly bold and expressive. They have curated a contemporary range of clothing that features fits, sizes, and colours that are completely gender-neutral and break away from the conditioning of “Pink is for girls and blue is for boys”. The tagline for the Feel Good collection is ‘Your Voice Can Change The World’ inspired by the famous quote “Be the change you want to see”.

The writer is Managing Partner, EQUL Store.