By Becca Cami
Edited by Anoosha Barua
Unisex clothing has been around for almost 200 years, however, over the past decade, with the LGBTQ+ community being more welcomed into society than in the past, there has been a rise in this non-binary fashion. The first time a rise in unisex clothing occurred was in the 1960s, especially in 1968.
Times were changing and companies began selling “his and hers” matching outfits. Women were wearing pants and men were growing their hair out and wearing more flamboyant print --a radical change for this time, which continued into the ‘70s with matching denim sets for families. Although it seemed as if times were progressing and gender boundaries were being knocked down, once the ‘80s rolled in, it was right back to binary. The 1990s gave way to more freedom in who wears what. “Grunge” became a new style, which catapulted the “tomboy” aesthetic into a more acceptable fashion for women. The U.S. was not the only nation to be apart of this movement. Most European countries were doing this as well, especially in cities like London and Paris. In South Korea where PDA is highly frowned upon, couples will match their outfits in many ways to show their relationship status.
Most of this change has come from the runway. The decade began with Prada, Alexander McQueen, and Jean-Paul Gaultier being some of the only brands to merge men’s and women’s fashion on the same catwalk; many other fashion houses followed in suit, and, in February 2018, New York Fashion Week added a unisex/non-binary category. This is not a topic isolated to high fashion brands. In 2015, British department store “Selfridges” transformed three floors of its Oxford Street location to all gender-neutral clothing.
While the brands we know and love did play a crucial role in this change, they were also simply giving the people what they wanted. Many menswear brands began making their clothing more of a hybrid because they were attracting female customers who were rocking these looks that were labeled as “masculine”.
Celebrities like Kanye West and Billie Eilish have played a role in this movement but one of the biggest influencers has been Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Jaden can be seen at many events rocking women’s or unisex clothing. In fact, when he went to prom with Amandla Stenberg, he debuted a black tuxedo jacket, paired with a white long skirt, and sneakers. This is just one instance, of many, that illustrate his constant breaking of barriers.
In just the past ten years, there have been huge changes in the non-binary fashion industry, synchronized with the transformation of gender-terms and how our society views gender. Judging from the immense change in this genre of fashion, it is clear that non-binary fashion is definitely in the running to be the next big thing.
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