The Symbolism of Gucci’s Rejection of Gendered Clothing

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THE SYMBOLISM OF GUCCI’S REJECTION OF GENDERED CLOTHING

In April of 2016, Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, announced that he was no longer showing men’s and women’s lines as independent entities, but rather as a single runway event. For a designer known to send men down runways in traditionally female clothes and viceversa, this decision came as no surprise to those who follow the fashion industry. However, below the surface of this decision lies a much greater indicator of the ever-changing zeitgeist of gender’s role in clothing. While some pockets of fashion have consistently tried to remove gender from the equation of what one can and cannot wear, Alessandro’s choice marks the beginning of a bold and daring new era in fashion in which gender is truly separated from clothing.

Yet the rejection of gendered clothing is hardly a new concept. In the 1950’s, backlash against traditional female clothes began as an extension WN \PM MٺWZ\[ WN  [MKWVL _I^M NMUQVQ[\[ _IV\QVO\W [MXIZI\M\PMU[MT^M[ from the oppressive gender roles they were forced into. In the 1960’s-70’s, \PQ[ ZMRMK\QWV WN  OMVLMZ KWV\QV]ML\W M`Q[\_Q\P\PM ÅZ[\M^MZ []KKM[[N]T unisex lines for adults by designers such as Paco Rabanne and André Courègges. However, these were still male dominated in their vision, and only helped make “uniformity with a masculine tilt” socially acceptable. This issue was found in almost all seasons billed as “unisex,” being a shift of women’s clothes towards masculinity while refusing to make male clothing contain even the slightest hint of femininity. Moving into the 90s, OZ]VOMKTW\PQVO[XMIZPMILMLJaÅO]ZM[[]KPI[3]Z\+WJIQVZMQV\ZWL]KML UI[K]TQVM KTW\PM[ \W NMUITM I]LQMVKM[ _Q\P WٺMZQVO[ []KP I[ ÆIVVMT[ and combat boots, while male fans were hesitant to follow Cobain’s lead towards female clothing and don a dress. In the modern era, designers such as Raf Simons and Rick Owens have long embraced non-gender [XMKQÅKK]\[IVL[QTPW]M\\M[QV\PMQZ[PW_[J]\WVTaZMKMV\TaPI^MPQ[\WZQK fashion houses began to move towards a rejection of gender. Buried in a sea of embroidery, appliqués, and embellishments, something incredible happened during Alessandro Michele’s tenure at Gucci. The classic Alessandro aesthetic was becoming fully actualized in front of some of the largest crowds of fashion connoisseurs and in no ways was this better demonstrated than in Gucci’s Cruise SS18 line. Maximalism of every garment possible to an almost cartoon proportion permeated \PM LM[QOV M\PW[QV\PQ[ [MI[WV<ZIKS[]Q\[ []ٺWKI\MLQV KZa[\IT[ LZM[[M[ displaying patterns louder than a mainstage bassdrop, and knitwear with \PM []J\TM\a WN I 2Mٺ[,VPIU [\IVL]X ZW]\QVM_MZM [\Z]\\MLLW_V\PM XITMJT]MZ]V_Ia_Q\PIVMٺWZ\TM[[KWWTZMUQVQ[KMV\WN 2IUM[,MIV;]KP loud and bold designs were walked down the runways by both male and female models as living demonstrations of the versatility of each garment for both genders. The very design of the runway itself was a rejection of the notions of separate cultures and in a way that one could almost argue is reinforcement of the fusing of men’s and women’s lines into one. The landscapes these models walked across were a kaleidoscope of cultures and time periods throughout the history of the world, with Egyptian arches juxtaposed against double porticos from the golden era of medieval Italy. While the praise of Alessandro’s rejection of gender norms has been astronomical, there has been a fair share of backlash from those who have chosen to make the gender binary in clothing their hill to die on. To their credit, there are absolutely other reasons to feature unisex shows besides just the designer’s visions and beliefs about clothing. Having a single NI[PQWV[PW_NWZITTWN I[MI[WV¼[WٺMZQVO[ZI\PMZ\PIV\_WQVLMXMVLMV\ shows is a massive money saver. The logistics, preparations, and fees of staging two runway shows independent of each other are immense when compared to a single show with a single goal. However, outside of \PMQZRILMLXZMLQK\QWV[IJW]\UIZSM\MٻKQMVKaI[\PMLZQ^QVOUW\Q^M\PM general public has viewed these decisions as a resurgence of the rejection of gender in clothing that the 90’s attempted and failed to achieve. In Alesandro’s work, he historically has always skewed the feminine in his designs. When he chose to take these ideals to Gucci and display them WVI]VQ[M`Z]V_IaNWZ\PM_PWTM_WZTL\W[MMPMJMKIUMWVMWN \PMÅZ[\ ever mainstream designers to force men’s clothing to embrace femininity instead of simply reducing female clothing to just menswear-womenswear hybrids. Men sent down runways in pussy-bow shirts and high-cut dresses are undoubtedly more subversive and head turning than women walking down the catwalk in baggy jeans or oversized parkas. Fashion itself mirrors the values of the society that it inhabits. When looking at the 1950’s and the advent of second wave feminism, the shifts of traditionally feminine clothes to garments that carry a higher utilitarian purpose (Who would’ve thought that women would have wanted to wear shorts in the summer?) were readily pushed onto the market. Fashion is an ever-evolving mass of the glory and struggles of those who live their day to day lives, and thus will always shift and transform itself to meet the demands of the societies it exists it. As mainstream society begins to embrace the elimination of social constructs such as gender, it only makes sense that fashion would travel down this path too. While some may state that these claims are ridiculous and will never be actualized in the mainstream, one only has to refer to the attitudes that the average consumer had towards fashion for men pre-2000’s. Long gone are the days where a man in anything besides jeans and a stained t-shirt is thought to JMIKTW[M\MLPWUW[M`]IT8]JTQKÅO]ZM[[]KPI[3IVaM?M[\IVL,I^QL *MKSPIU PI^M KWVÅLMV\Ta_WZV Q\MU[ XMZKMQ^IJTM I[ [SQZ\[ IVL LZM[[M[ in public appearances and performances. These cultural shifts towards acceptance of those who feel unsafe are only going to gain more traction in mainstream culture as we further progress into this millennium and companies such as Gucci under Alessandro’s reign will help spearhead these shifts. I, for one, am excited for the day I can wear Saint Laurent pumps with a suit to work. By: Eric TerBush Layout by Carla Borkmann