Androgynous and unisex fashion are concepts probably as old as clothing itself, but 2015 was the year when ‘genderless’ dressing was embraced by high fashion’s high profile. Most notable was the new era at Gucci, ushered in by head designer Alessandro Michele, where his debut S/S ’15 menswear collection for the brand demonstrated a man much more whimsical, gentle, and ambiguous than the glitter rock gods of collections past. Michele, of course, isn’t the first or the only contemporary designer to question the guidelines of gendered attire, as Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, Ann Demeulemeester, and Rad Hourani have long been champions of challenging preconceived notions of masculinity and femininity, and Prada and Jil Sander have never shied away from the asexual. This year, however, the agender agenda refused to be dismissed as only a fashion statement or aesthetic choice, and has instead become part of a larger social and philosophical conversation.
