Moe Kamimoto*This article contains affiliate links.
Genderless is becoming a standard in the fashion industry. In the past, fashion was strongly associated with gender stereotypes. For example, “pink is a color for women,” or “men shouldn’t wear a skirt.” Today, fashion has become a symbol of freedom, and many Japanese brands are evolving to dispel gender stereotypes.
Here are fourteen Japanese brands that encourage people to express their unique identities through fashion.
Clothing
0 STOCK TOKYO
The brand thrives on producing “clothing that minimalists keep forever,” so the products are simple yet highly functional. This brand is for minimalist style lovers looking for more eco-friendly clothing.
CALMER
CALMER focuses on effortlessness, utility, minimalism and non-binary style. The design is simple yet detail-oriented. Hence, rather than simply being larger clothing for both men and women, CALMER focuses on the silhouette of garments and designs them to look stylish in one’s figure.
CALMER’s items are available only online at the moment. However, it will open a pop-up store every season, so keep an eye out for one near you!
INSCRIRE
INSCRIRE started in 2017 with the philosophy that fashion should be exciting and liberating for everyone. Although the brand categorizes items by sex on the website, many of them have a wide range of sizes to fit anyone.
INSCRIRE has both basic items that match any style and unique items incorporating sporty designs. This year’s fall/winter collection includes a variety of pop-colored items that spice up your outfits.
BAAKU
BAAKU is produced by a Japanese genderless model, Baku Idegami. Based on the producer’s own experience of struggling with their gender, BAAKU aims to break gender stereotypes by bringing androgynous items to people in the same situations.
In fact, BAAKU has created eccentric designs by mixing “femininity” and “masculinity.” The website shows unique ways to dress, such as combining skirts and pants or layering colorful items.
UNUSED
UNUSED is a globally known brand that has collaborated with major fashion brands such as Vans and Dickies. Its products seem simple but unique because of their great attention to detail.
UNUSED sets a unique theme for each season, and each collection brings a different style to the brand. Also, UNUSED encourage purchasers to wear them for longer by offering a lifetime warranty to repair the products (for regular use only).
CABaN
CABaN is a new brand started in 2018 by Tomorrow land, one of the biggest apparel firms in Japan. The concept is to bring out individuality further, beyond gender, age and race. While the online store separates products by gender, many of the products are designed as genderless.
The greatest features of CABaN’s clothing are vivid colors and beautiful patterns of birds, flowers and other objects. Yet, its clothing is not too gaudy but elegant and impressively easy to match.
Underwear
Nissen
Nissen, a well-known fashion firm, started a project called “As Is” to meet the needs of transgender customers in 2020.
Nissen produces various functional items for transgender people. For example, chest binders can effectively flatten the appearance of one’s chest while minimizing the sense of tightness that many other binders provide. They also offer lace bras that provide the perfect fit for various body types. Plus, all items are reasonably priced. Check this out for your first genderless underwear!
Bushy Park
Bushy Park aims to improve gender diversity in society and to build a culture of wearing what one loves regardless of gender.
The street-style designs are full of unique ideas to catch one’s eye at first sight, such as various pop colors and humorous messages embroidered on the items. They can be suitable for your daily use or a gift as well.
W-MAGIC
W-MAGIC‘s concept is “Be Yourself.” This brand aims to create a world where everyone, including men, women and LGBTQIA+ people, can be themselves without being bound by any stereotype.
Their with creative designs include vibrant illustrations, chains, logo straps and mesh fabrics. Recommended for those who are looking for something different from what others have.
Albâge
Albâge started with a concept of addressing gender issues to change society. The idea came from the founder’s experience of being bisexual and feeling uncomfortable with being judged by her gender. This is why Albâge’s lingerie is designed to suit all genders.
Albâge’s design signature is European lace. This high-quality and smooth lace is often used for wedding dresses. Also, some of the designs are not underwear-like and are stylish even when visible. This brand is perfect for a day when you want to dress up!
Accessories
And cloud
And cloud, a sustainable genderless jewelry brand, offers a broad range of designs from dainty to chunky. It uniquely combines brass in silver and gold with other materials, such as freshwater pearls or resin.
Also, And cloud commits to environmental sustainability and designs the package to minimize the negative environmental impact. Additionally, there is an option for membership customers to donate the points that they accumulate from purchases to a forest conservation organization, “More Trees.”
[Related article] Genderless fashion series Ⅳ: Unique jewelry breaking boundaries of genderWIZBLE
WIZBLE has just launched as a genderless jewelry brand. This brand will donate a part of the sales to ReBit, a non-profit organization that aims to create a society where all children, including LGBTQ children, can feel safe just as they are.
For the first collection, WIZBLE is collaborating with a popular Japanese singer/actor, Hakuto Yoshino. Its jewelry are made of sterling silver and pearl. The classy and timeless design matches both elegant and casual outfits.
MARIHA
MARIHA has been targeting women, however, recently released genderless collections, “Silver bonds” and “Sky.” As MARIHA aims to create timeless jewelry for daily use, its minimalistic products would look great with any type of outfit. This brand values the traditional Japanese aesthetic of “Kacho Fugetsu” and shows Japanese spirits of beauty through its delicate designs.
[Related article] Genderless fashion series Ⅳ: Unique jewelry breaking boundaries of genderCanal 4℃
Genderless fashion will continue to grow. Hopefully, you will find a favorite brand that boosts your mood and expresses who you are.
More articles about genderless fashion in Japan
- 2023-10-01: Birthing inclusive toy Ideas in Kyoto's children People Project
- 2023-03-22: Japan’s gender neutrality as a recent social phenomenon to promote diversity
- 2022-12-06: Genderless fashion series Ⅳ: Unique jewelry breaking boundaries of gender
- 2022-09-01: Ethical lacquered chopsticks to preserve traditions among modern Japanese
- 2022-08-18: Welcomed introduction of genderless uniforms at some high schools
