“It’s not about gender, it’s about shapes.” These are the ‘wise’ words of Gigi Hadid as she tells Vogue why her and Zayn share each other’s clothes. It sounds dumb, especially the way Gigi explained it, but hear us out, there’s something to gender bending.
The Vogue shoot consists of Gigi, her partner Zayn and also her brother Anwar Hadid, who are all seen posing in gender neutral clothing, pieces such as blazers, pants, suits, leather jackets, even suspenders.
“It’s not about gender. It’s about, like, shapes. And what feels good on you that day. And anyway, it’s fun to experiment. . . .”
While Gigi’s comment may lack credibility and sound a little bit ditzy, (sorry Gigi) she’s got a point, and it is this point that a lot of big time fashion labels have taken on in an attempt to broaden their gender network.
Alessandro Michele, the creative director for Gucci has said that he treats traditional feminine and masculine wardrobes “as if they were a language, a score, a dictionary.” As a result of Gucci’s ever-growing encouragement for non-gender bias in fashion, the fashion house has released a pair of unisex low-top sneakers this year and people are loving them.
Even fashion royalty, Marc Jacobs made his support for gender neutrality in the industry by saying that technology seems to be the driving force for the vulnerability of gender neutral clothing, not the clothes themselves. He says that “these kids—I’m not sure they’re any different from the people I saw at Danceteria or Mudd Club in the eighties,” Jacobs says. “The difference is that back then, the expression—extreme looks, cross-dressing, what have you—was hidden away in a speakeasy or a club. Today, thanks to the Internet, that culture is widely exposed.”
If we can learn one thing from having two iconic millennials gracing this month’s issue of Vogue strengthening support for gender neutrality in the fashion industry, it is that happiness within each other is important no matter what you wear.
“If Zayn’s wearing a tight shirt and tight jeans and a big, drapey coat,” Hadid says, “I mean—I’d wear that, too. It’s just about, do the clothes feel right on you?”
Alright Gigi, we’ll give you good credit for that one. To see more from Gigi, Zayn and Anwar’s Vogue shoot, see the Vogue website here.
