I love Zara. Always have, always will.
The Spanish clothing line makes trendy style affordable while still maintaining a fairly high quality of wear. I remember begging my parents at the young age of 14 to take a detour on our family trip in New York City so that I could go to the popular and renowned Zara. I still wish that this women’s closet haven was in my hometown, but since it doesn't look like that will be happening anytime soon, I will continue to take a deliberate trip to the store each time I am in its vicinity.
Last week Zara gave me another reason to profess my love to its fashion. Joining the movement of breaking down gender barriers, it released a new “ungendered” line of items.
The line includes unisex tees, tanks, sweatshirts, sweatpants, jeans, and shorts. The pieces are photographed on both male and female models, reemphasizing the lack of division in the clothing. And as a bonus-- its all under $50.
So why this move on Zara's part? The answer is simple: us. It’s me and you.
Millennials are calling for this change with their mindset of open-mindedness and acceptance. In our minds, there is no binary gender system. So why should there be binary clothing? It’s all on a spectrum.
Zara is not the first to make this progressive move. Selfridges already released an Agender line, and of course – American Apparel has been far ahead of the game for some time now. You may have also seen this trend coming on with Jaden Smith rocking womenswear in the Louis Vuitton ad.
But the gender-neutral clothing breakthrough is about so much more than just a fashion trend on the runways. It is the beginning of an ongoing revolution in the way society thinks about the relationship between clothing and identity.
The clothing is basic, minimalistic, and there are about 10 items. So while some individuals are praising the brand for this release, some are quite frustrated with it. Twitter users are calling the clothing "ugly sweatshirts for skinny white people" or “male coded loungewear” and question why this ungendered clothing line is even considered a bold move.
Fashion guru Dolce Vita says: “On one hand, genderless lines in the mainstream encourage everyone to accept more diverse forms of gender expression, which creates positive change for the queer community. On the other, the industry seems focused on masculine style for all genders, erasing femme identities and perpetuating a standard that femininity is still very narrowly defined and only acceptable for a limited scope of identities.”
So is Zara's androgynous clothing a clever marketing move? Or a positive step in non-binary acceptance?
While other queer-owned brands have been doing genderless style for years, it should be noted that Zara is the first major high-street brand to do so. And they deserve some credit for that. This small step is part of a larger movement toward gender fluidity in the mainstream, and the goal to please all people comes with its challenges. Biologically, male and female bodies are different, so addressing that fact while also pleasing us vibrant millennials is not an easy go.
I say kudos to Zara for catering it its customers. It is acknowledging and celebrating the existence of non-binary individuals. And with stores all across the world, their message has a massive global reach.
We'll wait to see what other brands have in store for us in the near future. Target is set to release its own genderless clothing line next summer. Floral kimonos and dresses for all? I sure hope so.























