My name is Andie and this term I am studying a Fashion Marketing course at CULC. This week I had my first class and the teacher told us about the trend that we would be researching. We will focus on ” Androgyny”. Before class I was unaware of this term, so I was curious about it. The teacher gave us some background on it and also discussed fashion in general She asked us what we thought fashion was and what it represented. I have always found the fashion and beauty industry very interesting. But this was my first time studying anything related to fashion. I am excited about what I will learn on this course.
We completed a poster making activity introducing some of our own styles we liked. I like Monochrome and I like the simple designs. My choices were mainly coats, trousers and jackets.
It is generally agreed that the fashion industry is more prone to a female audience, so compared to the female market there is less information about the male androgynous styles. However, there is an increasing number of designers who are adding more feminine elements into their designs, some of them even invited female models to walk down the runway with menswear outfits, whereas the male models may also be asked to walk the runway show for womenswear ranges.
The multidimensional male is emerging in tandem with a mainstream acceptance of gender variations. Facebook’s newly introduced gender options offer UK users 70 different choices and the freedom to self-identify on the platform. In January 2014, Rad Hourani designed the first unisex line to be recognised by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Hourani differentiates between unisex and androgyny, two terms that are often used interchangeably: “Androgyny is a style,” he said. “Unisex is erasing all limitations.”
Brands such as JW Anderson and Hood by Air encapsulate this concept, as does a new generation of models such as Willy Carter and Andrej Pejić. While male designers have dominated women’s fashion the reverse is now true in menswear, with female designers emerging, especially at London Collections: Men. Katie Eary’s bold approach to colour and florals is one such example, as is Astrid Andersen’s blend of masculine sportswear with lace and sheer fabrics. “There’s no real relevance in gender,” Andersen told Interview magazine after her S/S 14 show. “That’s not what it’s about. And when girls and boys dress the same, it’s not unisex, either. It’s like this new understanding of the feminine and masculine within every human being.”
Reference: Wgsn.com. (2016). Multidimensional Men. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/54094/page/13 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016].
A Not so Fashion Student's Diary 