Gender neutral clothing is the next big thing in fashion

(CNN) – When entering a traditional department store or browsing your store on-line shoppers often browse clothing options by first choosing a section based on its gender tag: Male or Female, Girl or Boy.

But some fashionistas don’t identify within this gender binary, and they, and Gen Z consumers in particular, are creating a demand for more gender-neutral and inclusive fashion offerings. That is driving stores that want to attract your money to pay attention.

For example, the campaign marketing Summer 2021 from teen retailer PacSun introduces what it calls “genderless” styles, a category it introduced in September 2020.

PacSun includes a new genderless eco-fashion line called Color Theory with a variety of cotton-based staples like sweatpants and hoodies. The gender neutral store on its website already has a collection of T-shirts, sweatpants, cargo pants and slim fit in solid colors and prints tie-dye (multicolored).

New options

Abercrombie & Fitch launched its first gender-inclusive clothing collection, called Everybody Collection, in 2018, for boys ages 5-14, due to customer demand.

It has a variety of children’s clothing, including camouflage prints, windbreakers and sweatshirts, and crew neck T-shirts influenced by the culture of the skateboard.

Recently in May, the clothing chain launched a new collection in collaboration with The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioned (LGBTQ) youth. The gender inclusive collection for kids and adults includes T-shirts, shorts, hoodies, jackets, hats, sandals and a fragrance.

The clothes in the collections that the brands are launching are not restricted to certain colors and are tailored separately for girls, boys, men and women. Instead, they are “genderless” in the sense that fashion is fluid, not inherently masculine or feminine, and styles can be adapted to all body types.

Why Retailers Are Catching Up

Stores have good reason to display these types of collections.

In a December 2020 survey conducted by the consulting firm and marketing Global Wunderman Thompson to 1,000 US consumers, ages 16-24, 70% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that gender does not define a person as much as it used to.

“Fashion reflects the culture and political beliefs of a generation, which are often led by younger people,” said Shawn Grain Carter, Professor of Fashion Business Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

“If traditional retailers like Nordstrom and Saks are to survive, they must reflect this generation’s value system to earn loyalty for life,” Carter said.

Looking for loyal buyers

One brand is helping department stores do just that. The Phluid Project, a gender-neutral clothing brand, is available in more than 5,000 stores through partnerships with retailers such as Nordstrom, Target, Sephora and, most recently, the outlet stores of luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth. .

Saks Off Fifth is donating 100% of the collection’s proceeds to The Phluid Foundation.

We live in a binary society. So what I love about the younger Gen Z consumers is that they are challenging this construct on everything, including fashion, “said Rob Smith, CEO and founder of Phluid Project.

On June 4, Saks Off Fifth launched its first exclusive line of gender-neutral clothing and accessories, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Phluid Foundation, the promotional arm of the Smith brand. The collection features rainbow designs on T-shirts, hats, sneakers and tote bags for under $ 50.

Sara Griffin, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Saks Off Fifth, said the collection with the Phluid Project “is a first step” in serving a younger generation of shoppers who are less concerned with the traditional approach to gender in clothing.

“We are listening to our customers and will continue to make adjustments,” he said, adding that the company’s partnership with Phluid will continue with new products in the fall.