Gender-neutral fashion is the next big thing for London Fashion Week

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Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, I have good news. We don’t have to stick to society’s standards of “good” fashion anymore! British Fashion Council is abandoning binary shows starting this June. London Fashion Week will soon become gender-neutral, at least for 12 months.

Why is gender-neutral fashion becoming the main thing for London Fashion Week?

Although we wished their reason would be because they are giving in to the demands of the people, it’s actually not. The council announced a statement on Tuesday, April 21. They pointed out that they will be pressing pause on London Fashion Week Men’s which started in 2012. The separation gave designers a more distinct and specific platform to grow that category in the industry.

COVID-19’s relation to gender-neutral fashion in London Fashion Week.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) actually plays a huge part as the main reason why gender-neutral fashion would be the next big thing. Basically, the decision for a gender-neutral fashion format appeared when the global fashion industry has started to battle against the fallout due to the pandemic. With stores closed and shut, this forced retailers to cancel their orders and find other ways to save their sales.

Digital-only London Fashion Week.

The first-ever combined menswear and womenswear format for London Fashion Week will start on June 12. Aside from that, it will remain a digital-only fashion show due to the strict UK lockdown rules preventing gatherings of more than two people. In the said statement, the British Fashion Council hoped this would give designers the chance to show off their versatility.

Aside from their versatility, the CEO of the British Fashion Council Caroline Rush also hoped that the event will show the city’s “influence on society, identity, and culture.”

“The current pandemic is leading us all to reflect more poignantly on the society we live in and how we want to live our lives and build businesses when we get through this. The other side of this crisis, we hope will be about sustainability, creativity, and product that you value, respect, cherish.”

Why is gender-neutral fashion important?

First of all, sustainability.

First of all, it remains a step to sustainability. Since there won’t be any separation to wardrobes, it keeps more clothes out of landfills. It minimizes our impact on the planet and protects the wellbeing of those who inhabit it. Aside from keeping clothes in circulation for as little as we can, it remains a direct consequence of humanity’s evolution as an environmentally-aware society.

Second, why shouldn’t it be important?

We all know how people usually dress. We also know what society has been telling men and women how to dress. Men should wear pants, shirts, and sneakers while women should wear dresses, blouses, and shoes. Society says that you should wear the clothes that match the gender you were assigned at birth. Well, the generation now says that you should wear whatever you want to wear.

Gender-neutral isn’t just a stylish development- it highlights a social function.

We want to see brands joining in to see more clothes suitable for both men, women, and everyone in or out of that spectrum. With the clientele focusing on the ranks of Generation Z and millennials, which are the people perceived to be the most accepting ones among others, gender-neutral fashion should rise up more and more as time passes by.