From crossbody bags to sneakers: gender-neutral fashion is here to stay

New York Fashion Week is always a frenzied time when brands and buyers from around the world descend on New York City and the Spring/Summer collections are revealed. 

While some brands have decided to forgo the traditional fashion calendar, September is still the time when the latest trends are presented to the public.

One trend that has steadily grown in popularity in recent years is gender neutral or unisex fashion. 

What does gender-neutral fashion mean?

Gender neutral fashion, often also referred to as unisex fashion, has a few different definitions within the apparel industry. 

There are brands like Ijji or Big Bud Press that don’t differentiate the products they design by male and female sizing, and instead create products that can be worn by anyone regardless of gender presentation. 

Then, there is fashion that exists outside of gendered stereotypes, which cater to all individuals, regardless of how they self-identify. Some examples of this are the rise of the men’s jewelry market and retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and Ssence adding men’s skirts to their inventory. 

According to market research firm Industry Growth Insights the global gender-neutral fashion market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 per cent to reach $3.2 billion by 2030.

As confirmed by data from McKinsey & Company State of Fashion 2023 report, US-based consumers are the leading audience for this category, with 36 per cent confirming they had purchased fashion products outside of their gender identity. 

The report also established that Gen Z is the primary audience for this category of fashion. With regards to this age bracket specifically, 50 per cent of online shoppers globally have purchased fashion outside of their gender identity. Whereas, across a larger spectrum of ages, 70 per cent of consumers said they would be interested in buying gender-fluid fashion in the near future. 

What’s behind the rise of gender-neutral fashion?

Several factors have contributed to the rise of this particular fashion category. 

As previously mentioned, Gen Z consumers are the primary shoppers of gender-fluid fashion items. Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, setting and following new fashion trends, from cottagecore to balletcore, has never been easier nor as popular. 

More open-minded Gen Z consumers are eschewing gender stereotypes in regards to both beauty and clothing — from masculine-presenting individuals sporting pearls, crop tops, skirts, or painted nails, to feminine presenting individuals embracing vests and oversized blazers, especially those designed for men. 

Stoney Michelli Love, founder and CEO of gender-neutral apparel brand Stuzo Clothing, believes that the increase in genderless clothing is a reflection of the open-minded mentality of the younger generation. “The current generation, we believe, is more aware of who they are and vocal about seeing that reflected in all aspects of life. That includes fashion. The youth tends to create change and shifts and we believe that is exactly what’s happening,” Love said. 

Trends like ‘gorpcore’ and ‘normcore’ have helped drive demand for items like cargo pants and fleece jackets amongst men, women, and non-binary folk alike. 

A report produced by retail intelligence company Edited and written by retail analysts Karis Munday and Robyn Smith in May 2023 found that cargo pants in the womenswear and girlswear categories increased by 175 per cent and 400 per cent year-over-year, respectively. 

Certain items have become more popular with male and female audiences alike, including black-and-white or neutral toned sneakers, like the Adidas Sambas, “relaxed fits” such as oversized blazers or baggy loungewear sets, and gender-neutral accessories like Uniqlo’s crossbody round mini shoulder bag or Stüssy’s bucket hats. 

One site that is fully taking note of the gender-neutral trend is British online fashion retailer ASOS, which has expanded it assortment of unisex products by 87 per cent in comparison to the year prior. 

What are areas of growth within the gender neutral fashion segment?

Since it doesn’t appear that the concept of gender-neutral fashion is going away anytime soon, it’s likely that more apparel brands – luxury and otherwise – will consider diving into this style themselves.

As indicated by Edited’s report, two areas for growth in this category are unisex crossbody bags, 80 per cent of which experienced a total sell out, and unisex sneaker lines, referring to both sizing and style. Some footwear brands have already jumped on board with this trend. 

In October 2023, Nike will be releasing a unisex sneaker and clothing line with Women’s National Basketball Association player Sabrina Ionescu.

Amongst the items featured in the collection is the “Sabrina 1” model, marking it as Nike’s first unisex basketball sneaker. 

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