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U N I S E X
the new trend & cultural movement for the future of fashion
//Winter 2014
THE GENDER BREAKT In an interview with Korean-Canadian designer Joobo Shim—alumni of Parson’s New School of Design and current 3rd year fashion design student at Ryerson University— on his most recent collections, he comments,
unisex…but I was always interested in mixing opposing elements.”
For his sand dune and byzantine inspired collection for example, Shim says, “it was important to express the relationship between light and dark within the elements “It’s funny because I never really of design.” thought about my garments being
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In a society built on strict gender norms, the concept of fashion between men and women were always on opposing ends of the spectrum. But with the rise of feminism in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s, designers such as Helmut Lang and Jil Sander allowed androgyny to break its way into the fashion industry. Although it remains a niche market in everyday contemporary, these trends have exponentially grown within the last decade.
text & photography
LESS HROUGH kelly nguyen
I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN MIXING OPPOSING ELEMENTS
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I TAKE INSPIRATION FROM DESIGNERS LIKE RICK OWENS, YOHJI YAMAMOTO, AND JW ANDERSON “My work has a lot of structured tailoring and draper. I take inspiration from designers Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto and JW Anderson, which is why I think it seems genderless. These designers focus on people, not on the man or woman. I’ve had
both men and women try on my clothes and it fit them both well.” However, Shim’s aesthetic along with the aforementioned designers have an exclusively couture aesthetic that is not as easily translated into ready to wear.
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Paolo Sulay, an intern for Piccsy. com—an image-based content sharing platform startup company— and who is also a personal trusted source for leading trends, rhetorically asks,
characterized by oversized layering in combination with structured pieces.
THERE THERE
IS IS
UNISEX AND GENDERLESS
THEN
However many people assume that unisex fashion is former, merely mirroring garments from menswear “Define unisex trends? There to womenswear or vice versa. is unisex,”—which is when Melissa McCaul, a stylist from garments can be borrowed from French Connection on Queen West both genders—“and then there is says that, “eventually it will [be a genderless.” trend], but right now more is more. Unisex trends in this context is [Unisex] is all about minimalism, but a combination of both, together people want exaggeration. We have
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a paisley floral shirt here that comes in men’s tailoring and another in women’s—but they’re two different shirts.” French Connection is a brand that designs gender-based styles exclusively for men and women. A store like American Apparel on the other hand is known for its unisex garments, with many of their campaigns showing a male and female wearing the same button down shirts and sweaters. McCaul debates that,“those pieces were always be around so they can’t really be a leading trend.” Sulay points out however that, “[Unisex] is already out. Look at Nike and Adidas and New Balance. The general public is unknowingly engaging in this culture. Men and women are wearing similar bomber jackets with sweatpants and kicks. It’s all because of this sportswear.”
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Brands like Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs have made sportswear relevant. Wang’s most recent collaboration with H&M proved to be a breakout in unisex trends, with a huge focus on structured garments that have ambiguous yet interchangeable shapes for both men and women.
Although it seems that the concept of unisex as a genderless fashion is lost within the mainstream, the trend continues to break its way out of the niche. The fashion industry is pushing its conventionality and if the general public—beyond fashion trendsetters—is willing to accept it, the age of unisex fashion may “Women care about funcbecome it’s own cultural tionality in menswear so movement for gender that’s why they like to buy it, uniformity. and that is what genderless fashion should be about. The functionality for both men and women,” comments Sulay.
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THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS UNKNOWINGLY ENGAGING IN THIS CULTURE.
THAT IS WHAT GENDERLESS FASHION SHOULD BE ABOUT. THE FUNCTIONALITY FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
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ANDROGNY REWRITES THE RULES OF STREETWEAR
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Streetwear is meant to be a forum for the majority, a great democracy that reflects the cultural climate and is fashion at its easiest access level. Its purpose is to circulate and to disseminate, adopted traditionally by high fashion brands opting to diffuse their ethos into a format fit for the general public.
text paul wagenblast photography kelly nguyen
The streetwear market p e r p e tu a t e s a l o n g a common denominator, bringing all of a brand’s pop culture references and ethics along with it. In their recent SS14 show,Hood By Air, a streetwear favourite of performers like A$AP Rocky, Kanye West and Rihanna, collaborated again with perennial muse and performance artist boychild.
The day before hitting the runway for HBA, boychild did an androgynous, expressionist drag performance to a packed audience at the Suzanne Geiss gallery in Manhattan, lip synching to remixed pop favorites (including Rihanna’s heartfelt “Stay”) and creating an emotional energy that was beyond categorical.
THE STREETWEAR MARKET PERPETUATES ALONG A COMMON DENOMINATOR,
ITS PURPOSE IS TO CIRCULATE AND TO DISSEMINATE
ANDROGYNY, IN THIS CASE, DOES NOT MEAN EMBRACING BOTH GENDERS BUT DENYING THEM; CREATING A NEUTRAL SPACE IN WHICH TO PRESENT AND CONNECT AT A DEEPER LEVEL.
Androgyny, in this case, does not mean embracing both genders but denying them; creating a neutral space in which to present and connect at a deeper level. It is humanising and equalising. Perhaps that is why Hood By Air finds so much inspiration in boychild. As a label it uses streetwear codes to explore a range of progressive high fashion concepts, such as genderless styling and subversive branding, to appeal on a human level.
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BLENDING EXPERIMENTAL IDENTITY WITH THE VIRAL ENERGY OF STREETWEAR A lack of concern in gender politics has allowed HBA to imagine a massive redefinition of popular dress, blending experimental identity with the viral energy of streetwear. By denying us the opportunity to assign gender to their work, HBA is flipping the role of streetwear on its head: no longer reflecting the majority, but informing it.
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UNISEX ACCESSORIES for fall/winter 2014 b y k e l ly n g u y e n
2 2 RUNNING SHOES 1
1 OVERSIZED COAT OR BOMBER JACKET
From Nike , Addidas , New Balance & Under Armour , grab a pair of runners to add to your wardrobe.
Choose one, the other, or both. Oversized coats add to the all encompasing “layered” look and draw away from the body figure. Bomber jackets have a relaxed and oversized appeal to them as well.
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4 MINMAL BACKPACKS The Murse is no more. Get a backpack. Keep it simple. Keep it clean. Stay Fluid.
3 3 HAT A wide brim hat or beanie have just enough structure or lackthereof to show androgyny.
PHOTO’S BY:
1) NATALIE FELTHAM, NOV 2014
2) FOX CARTEL, NOV 2014
3) FOX CARTEL, NOV 2014
4) LEA PAGANO, JUNE 2014
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TO BE CONTINUED