‘Lines are crumbling away’: Why fashion (and Harry Styles) is embracing genderless clothing

Demand for gender-neutral clothing is going up dramatically, with major designers embracing unisex fashion, as seen on Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.

The lines between women’s and men’s clothing are becoming increasingly blurred – and quite possibly, irrelevant – as demand for gender-neutral fashion grows.

From Harry Styles wearing a frothy baby blue Gucci dress on the cover of US Vogue – and a sheer black blouse to the Met Gala – to stars like Billie Eilish and Kristen Stewart shunning traditional red carpet attire for ambiguous silhouettes, fashion is breaking down stereotypes, one boyfriend blazer at a time.

In Australia, the gender-neutral trend is experiencing a “huge surge”, seen at online retailer The Iconic and from brands CAMILLA AND MARC, P.E. Nation and SIR, who have all noted a rise in demand for nonconforming fashion.

Harry Styles wearing a Gucci dress on the cover of US Vogue. Picture: Tyler Mitchell/Vogue

Wearing custom Gucci and a single pearl earring, Harry Styles is know for pushing the boundaries of fashion. Picture: Getty Images

Pete Davidson, wearing Thom Browne, at the 2021 Met Gala. Picture: Getty Images

Troye Sivan wearing an Altu slip dress on the steps of the Met. Picture: Getty Images

But this isn’t just in the form of trackies and hoodies anymore – CAMILLA AND MARC’S new sustainable unisex collection, dubbed “Future Now”, includes dressy jackets, pants and jumpers designed to suit anyone.

Last year, PE Nation’s unisex activewear range, “UNI-form”, sold out within hours of its release.

The Iconic’s general manager of fashion Anna Brennan said there had been a “huge surge” in demand for genderless fashion, prompting the digital retailer to launch a dedicated “unisex edit”.

The Iconic has noticed a 130 per cent increase in demand for “unisex-orientated” clothing in the past six months.

A model wearing camilla and marc’s genderless ‘Future Now’ collection, including the Ari bomber jacket and Ari trousers. Picture: Supplied

Brennan said celebrity influence along with a “growing movement to gender neutral styles on the runway” were driving the trend.

The Iconic’s top-selling gender-neutral brands include Champion, Stussy, Dickies (specifically, its 874 Original Relaxed Fit Pants, which are among the most in-demand items on The Iconic).

“These ranges go beyond offering just unisex products and are pioneering a shift in fashion by allowing the customer complete freedom in their sense of style, without traditional gender norms dictating the way people can shop,” Brennan said.

The same camilla and marc outfit (Ari bomber and trousers), worn by a male model. Picture: Supplied

‘MORE AND MORE PREVALENT’

Creative director of CAMILLA AND MARC Camilla Freeman-Topper said demand for gender-neutral clothing had grown at her brand over the past 12 months, and she anticipated that “this trend will become more and more prevalent”.

“We’ve actually noticed a lot more males wearing the CAMILLA AND MARC collection in the last few years,” Freeman-Topper said.

“The demand for more genderless clothing has definitely increased in the last year.

“Fashion has such a key role in breaking down stereotypes.”

For a designer, creating clothes that can be worn by both men and women meant, at a practical level, “a lot more fittings”.

“We have to question every single element of the garment from so many more perspectives,” Freeman-Topper said.

Unisex Dickies 874 Original relaxed fit pants ($89.99) are among the best-selling items on The Iconic. Picture: The Iconic

‘More and more prevalent’. A female model wearing camilla and marc’s unisex ‘Future Now’ collection, including the Ari crew top and Ari trousers. Picture: Supplied

The move away from gender stereotypes has been seen through the continued popularity of the “boyfriend T-shirt” (and “boyfriend shirt” or “boyfriend jeans”), a silhouette often worn by “it” girls Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid.

“I love the boyfriend trend and am a huge subscriber to it,” Freeman-Topper said. “I think it’s an overall reflection of where fashion has been headed – more comfort driven.

“The rise of streetwear, leisurewear and activewear really indicates to me that consumers are

wanting their clothes to serve them, not the other way around.

“There’s also been a real return to the 90s,” she said. “Perhaps it’s linked back to those 90s supermodel “offduty” moments in vintage Levis and white tees. It’s a looser more relaxed aesthetic.”

camilla and marc responded to growing demand for gender-neutral pieces, as their main women’s line was also being purchased by male consumers. Picture: Supplied

THE HARRY EFFECT

Harry Styles – who sported a Gucci dress and skirt in US Vogue’s December issue, and was the first man to appear solo on its cover – has been vocal about pushing the boundaries with what he wears.

Styles said the “lines are just kind of crumbling away”. “When you take away ‘there’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play,” Styles, 27, told Vogue at the time.

“I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing.

“It’s like anything — anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself.”

The Watermelon Sugar singer echoed the comments to Variety. “To not wear [something] because it’s females’ clothing, you shut out a whole world of great clothes,” Styles said.

“And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.”

Vogue Australia fashion features editor Alice Birrell said trench coats, blazers and shirts had been wardrobe staples for both men and women “for a long time now, so the extension into other parts of our wardrobes is fuelled by a natural evolution”.

“What we’re seeing is a broad spectrum of clothing and accessories that don’t lean so ‘neutral’ as traditional ideas of ‘unisex’ pieces have in the past,” Birrell said.

“Clothing should be non-binary and accessible to everyone, which just gives us more tools to express ourselves and that can only be a good thing.”

Birrell pointed to New York designer Marc Jacobs, who “has been wearing pearls and platforms of late”, and Kim Jones, creative director for Dior men’s and Fendi womenswear, who “has always bought clothing on the basis of whether he likes it or not, not because of which department it sits under in the store”.

Billie Eilish, dressed in custom-made Gucci, is known for wearing ambiguous silhouettes. Picture: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

Kristen Stewart, wearing Chanel. Picture: Getty Images

GQ Australia writer Amy Campbell said the rise of comfort dressing in the WFH era lent itself to gender-neutral styles.

“I really think people are prioritising comfort when choosing what to wear, and to cater for all kinds of bodies, unisex silhouettes tend to be more roomy, relaxed and oversized by nature,” Campbell said.

“Men dressing in clothes that might be considered ‘feminine’ by conventional standards is a more recent phenomenon, but in the ‘80s, Jean Paul Gaultier put male models in kilts.

“It’s just that now, these ideas fashion has been playing with for years are filtering through to more everyday contexts.

“Social media and Instagram especially has played a huge role.”

That, and Harry Styles.