The fashion world is slowly advancing the progressive agenda of a non-binary society.
H&M is the latest brand to introduce a genderless collection. Called “Denim United,” the 19-piece apparel line features oversized jeans, jackets, hoodies… And yes! There’s also a dress.
"It is very natural for us to launch a unisex collection as fashion is constantly evolving and intersecting and today we see there are no boundaries in democratic style,” H&M spokeswoman Marybeth Schmitt announced in a March 8 news release. “Fashion should always be inclusive."
Last March, Zara introduced a similar bland, neutral-toned collection under the title “Ungendered.” At the time, Refinery29’s Ana Colon enthused about the line. “We tend to get very excited about Zara's newest arrivals. But the fast-fashion retailer's latest drop is particularly groundbreaking: The brand has introduced a range of gender-neutral clothing to its vast inventory.”
TeenVogue’s Lauren Duca also expressed support. “So many stores are divided into Women's and Men's sections,” she wrote, “so it's refreshing to have a clear middle of the Venn diagram for the non-conforming – even if it's only online for now.”
Although the mainstreaming of genderless clothing lines is relatively new, nonconformist brands have been around for a while. In August 2015, Bustle writer and designer Alysse Dalessandro highlighted seven brands that are breaking out of the boundaries. And the results were, well… predictably unappealing.
The gender-neutral movement has progressed alongside the beauty world’s embrace of male makeup icons and transgender fashion models.
