"Gone are the days when skirts implied femininity and trousers the opposite. Over is the idea that fem and masc can’t coexist. Instead, we are entering—and creating—a society in which gender is seen as a sliding scale, not a binary."
-- Alex York, Style Caster, "Fashion Is Playing A Much-Needed Role in the Gender-Neutrality Movement"
One of the ideas that we push at Vivi is gender neutrality when it comes to fashion and social justice. Childhood is a great time for individuals to start navigating self-identification, from wearing superhero capes and princess dresses to starting to blur the lines between the boys department and the girls. For kids that don't identify as strictly male or female, fashion can provide way to express what gender means to them, as well as experiment with what it is like in the outfit of someone else.
The traditional ideas of "boys clothes" and "girls clothes" is also outdated and doesn't reflect how many of us dress. The fashion industry is one of the most visual examples of transitioning social norms. Gender, itself, is mainly a social construct and new generations can construct their own ideas and expressions.
So what is gender neutral fashion?...
"Gender-neutral clothing is no longer an obscure corner of the fashion world, but as interest in such designs grows, some of the lines have been criticized as overly baggy and lacking imagination." -- Alex York
This is the central idea at Vivi when we are designing pieces. How can we make things that work on all kids, no matter how they identify, and still have them be stylish, fit well, and foster self-acceptance and expression? Gender neutral does not need to be beige and baggy. All it takes is a bit of open mindedness and styling! Children's wear is also a great time to utilize this kind of design because kids often haven't developed the body features that make gender-neutral clothing more difficult to fit in adult wear.
Some examples of gender neutral styles in Vivi's fall collection are the Adventurer's Flightsuit, the Benevolent Warrior's Suit, the Brave & Kind T-Shirt, the Everyday Pants, The Explorer's Jacket, and the Positive Message Hoodie and Moth Hoodie. With the exception of the Agate Dress, our Together by Vivi Design Studio pieces were all designed and fit in a unisex fashion.
Interested in learning more about gender neutral fashion? Check out these articles:
https://stylecaster.com/gender-neutral-fashion/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fashion-designers-strive-to-upgrade-gender-neutral-clothing-11635246000