Japan’s evolving definition of genderless fashion

In Japanese society, traditional gender roles still prevail. Although reducing unconscious bias is an uphill task, part of society is attempting to achieve gender equality through SDGs. The fashion field is no exception. In recent times, genderless fashion has been on-trend all over the world.

“Genderless fashion,” which is aimed to break societal gender norms in fashion, started spreading in Japan in the mid-2010s. Although the term “genderless fashion” referred to both females and males, it was commonly known as the word “genderless danshi (male),” which defined men who cross gender boundaries. Their style was not bound by the stereotypical manly style of fashion. “Genderless male” is often considered androgynous.

This fashion style included wearing makeup, colorfully patterned clothes and wearing ladies’ items. At this point, this is mostly about a fashion subculture and is not necessarily associated with sexuality.

The current definition of genderless fashion in Japan

Recently, more people have started questioning the Japanese traditional gender roles and are aware of sexual and gender minorities. Some people also have a desire to escape from peer pressure to behave appropriately for their sexuality, age, body shape, profession and so on. Japanese fashion firms have responded to these social changes in their products through genderless collections.

The Japanese fast-fashion brand GU has developed “genderless” items with a wide range of sizes and colors. They are designed to fit anyone no matter their sexuality, gender, gender identity or age. On the other hand, some newly launched fashion brands don’t categorize their products by gender at all. IIQUAL is one such example of a fashion brand that respects diversity. Their philosophy is to enable people to express themselves without being bound by various stereotypes. In addition to their products, they also conduct interviews to introduce various ways of living and thinking which challenge stereotypes.

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How to make the current “genderless fashion” a new standard

While “genderless fashion” gets people’s support, some are critical of the idea or of categorizing this fashion with the term “genderless.” By labeling it with a well-known word, promotion of products or brands can be easier, which can help to spread the concept. However, there is a possibility of the term being misleading unless the essence of the concept is understood due to the fact that “genderless fashion” is still commonly associated with an androgynous style of fashion.

Japan’s current “genderless fashion” aims to be gender-inclusive and break various stereotypes in a society where there is still a lack of understanding for sexual and gender minorities. In order to make current “genderless fashion” sustainable, the fashion industry needs to not only promote the products but also to explain the context, such as problems facing various minorities.