Unisex Collections

Leslie Lessin's top unisex collections this year.

1. Unisex
Collections
Leslie Lessin

2. 2016 seems to be the year of unisex
collections. Typically on the
runway menswear and
womenswear are on gender-
specific catwalks but this past
season Prada fused the two. Not
only are we seeing the trend on the
runways but in stores as well.

3. And it’s becoming more and more
popular with consumers. Miuccia
Prada believes that “the
combination is more real. It’s more
‘today’, otherwise it looks like we
are in classes, in the time of my
grandfather, when women were
divided from men” (vogue.co.uk).

4. It’s not uncommon for women to
have borrowed some trends from
menswear, such as oversized
shirts. But now the trend is
becoming full blown. It’s moving
beyond just borrowing a few
pieces here and there.

5. The line between menswear and
womenswear is starting to blur
and become more fluid. Men are
wearing dresses that are made for
men, women are wearing pants
suits that are made for women.
And men and women are
shopping in the opposite gender’s
section.

6. One of the great things about
unisex collections is that
everything is allowed so that
everyone can find something that
fits and that works for them, their
body type and their style.

7. Not only is unisex clothing
amazing for consumers, but it’s
also very cost-effective for apparel
brands. According to Bernadette
Kissane, apparel and footwear
analyst at Euromonitor, “it
reduces redundancies and allows
greater freedom in personal
expression- for both consumers
and designers.

8. Fashion shows, for instance, are
extremely expensive, so to merge
womenswear and menswear
ranges in one show is actually a
good move. Also, today we are
bombarded with a crazy number
of designers verses 20 years ago.
This means that brands need to
find ways to stand out and be
seen. Androgyny helps create a
more cohesive brand message
and brand image” (wwd.com).

9. The question becomes, though,
will this trend continue? Right
now we are more so seeing the
trend with high-end designers,
such as Prada, as opposed to in
stores like Zara and H&M.
However, this doesn’t mean that
the trend will disappear. Rather,
it’s more likely that it will just take
some time for the trend to
commercialize.

10. We are seeing the movement
draw bigger and bigger circles.
According to Matea Hoffman, who
is setting up a creative
transgender agency in Berlin,
believes that “the idea is to make
transgender accepted by society
as something natural- not a freak”
(wwd.com).