The term millennials once comprised of people between the ages of 23 to 38, and for the past four years or so, they were the trailblazers in fashion. However, a new generation is being named as the future pacesetters of fashion—the Gen Z. Which year onward do Gen Z belong to is a hot discussion topic, but the general consensus is 1997. And according to an article by Inc. magazine, 2019 will be the year that Gen Z disrupts the current millennial market and surpasses them. Currently, Gen Z roughly makes up 35% of the world population, and therefore, are the largest demographic in fashion. So, what does it all mean for fashion? Well, knowing the shopping habits of these next generation trendsetters will be the key to understanding future trends in fashion.
The biggest clue as to what we can expect for the future of fashion has been gender neutral clothing. Prominent fashion designers such as Alessandro Michele, Rick Owens and Raf Simons have explored the space between the two binary genders and what it means to dress them in their runway collections. But haute couture isn’t the only fashion landscape affected, the retail scene is also seeing changes in how people shop. Linda Hewson, creative director of Selfridges, was quoted saying “what we have noticed from a retail perspective is a lot of women are shopping on the men’s floors” in an article on businessoffashion. Women leading the charge in gender neutral fashion should come as no surprise. Afterall, womenswear has always been the pioneer in adapting to the zeitgeist of the times—the post-war “new look” for women by Christian Dior in 1947 and Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking Suit in 1966. And back in 2016, Louis Vuitton enlisted Jaden Smith for their womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 campaign.
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So what exactly does gender neutral dressing mean? It can’t be as simple as shopping in the men’s department, right? Or can it? A quick look at Ezra Miller’s recent red carpet looks, especially during the promotional tour for Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald would clue you in. The only caveat is that it’s a little too avant-garde and not wearable as daily wear. Essentially, it’s clothes that are suitable for men, women and gender non-conforming individuals. An ideal gender neutral outfit would comprise of boxy, over-sized or loose silhouettes (which suggests neither masculinity nor femininity). Even wearing colours typically considered taboo for women would constitute as gender neutral dressing, but how can we elevate that? Our favorite way of executing it via styling what’s already in your wardrobe. Let these influencers show you how:
Jeffree Star
Jeanne Damas
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Olivia Palermo
Eva Chen
Leandra Medine (a.k.a Man Repeller)
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Margaret Zhang
Chloe Bennet