Gender-Fluid Fashion Brands and Designers Breaking Boundaries

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In the iconic 2000s and early 2010s television series “Glee,” the show’s resident fashionista Kurt Hummel, played by Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer, declared, “Fashion has no gender” in the Season Two premiere of the show. Throughout the series, it wasn’t unusual for the costume department to dress the character in a women’s top or jacket, but never quite err on what the average person would consider cross-dressing.

Jayden Smith, who famously appeared in Louis Vuitton’s campaign wearing a skirt, once stated, “It’s just clothes.” Women, who are allowed more freedom in literally “borrowing from the boys,” are now more openly shopping the men’s sections for true boyfriend jeans, and the tomboy look hasn’t waned at any point in modern history.

In the 2010s, the talk of gender-neutral fashion came into the cultural zeitgeist, as discussions of gender non-conforming people and transgender people began to become a larger part of political discourse. By 2017, even household-name brands were hopping on the gender-fluid fashion bandwagon. That year, H&M released a 19-piece line of gender-fluid oversized denim basics. Parisian brand AVOC also won the prestigious ANDAM prize, paving the way for their gender-fluid designs.

With 2024 Pride Month, Fashion Reverie wanted to look at some of the brands doing gender-fluid fashion the best in 2024. Let’s review, and happy Pride.

Image courtesy of officialrebrand.shop

Official Rebrand

Official Rebrand was founded by MI Leggett, a New York-based non-binary artist. The brand pushes the message of gender-fluid fashion while remaining committed to sustainability, with all the pieces being upcycled from thrift or gently used garments.

Rather than taking the traditional fashion approach, Leggett sees themselves as a brand who uses clothing as their canvas and message of sustainability. One of Official Rebrand’s most famous clothing pieces is their “Angels Have No Gender sweatshirt,” which was worn by the non-binary character Ché Diaz, played by non-binary actor Sara Ramirez, on Season Two of Max’s “And Just Like That,” the reboot of the hit “Sex and the City” series.

Image courtesy of tomboyx.com

TomboyX

Shopping for underwear as a gender-fluid or non-binary person can be very challenging, as most underwear is very gendered. TomboyX is on a mission to solve this problem by constructing gender-fluid underwear, ranging from bras to briefs. The brand’s offerings also include swimwear, boy shorts, and even menstrual cycle-specific underwear. One of TomboyX’s core design philosophies is considered construction, as they seek to have all individuals who wear their clothes feel at ease in their skin, regardless of gender identity.

Image courtesy of wildfang.com

Wildfang

Wildfang began in a studio apartment in Portland, Oregon, when the founders started asking themselves “why aren’t there more femme clothes with real pockets and why there weren’t button-ups with no boob gap.” Wildfang’s board and team include diverse members across all gender identities, and one of their biggest claims to fame is their blazers, which come in tuxedo and double-breasted styles.

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 Barragán

Although Barragán might be considered a little off-the-wall by some, the brand is bringing something fresh, edgy, and out-of-the-box to the fashion scene. The brand’s designs, which are a mixture of camp, streetwear, and avant-garde aesthetics, comment on issues like capitalism and free-trade realism.

His designs often include camouflage in reference to military issues, political slogans referencing border issues, and images of hypodermic needles referencing the drug crisis. The brand’s designer, Victor Barragán, has no interest in commercial clothes but is here with a gender-fluid message for the political left.

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Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

Charles Jeffrey is one of the biggest rising stars in London’s fashion scene, and his brand, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, has found a considerable audience and major retail partners, including Ssense, Farfetch, and Saks Fifth Avenue. A quick visit to the brand’s website will find that they don’t separate their designs by gender as part of their gender-fluid philosophy.

It is not unheard of for Jeffrey to put men in dresses. To date, he’s dressed celebrities, including Harry Styles, Tilda Swinton, and J-Hope of BTS.

Image courtesy of kirrinfinch.com

Kirrin Finch

Brooklyn-based couple Laura Moffat and Kelly Sanders Moffat set out on a mission to challenge fashion industry norms for what is considered menswear and what is considered womenswear. This led to the birth of their brand, Kirrin Finch, which created gender-defying menswear-inspired apparel designed to fit a range of female and non-binary bodies.

The brand is also committed to sustainable practices, and the Moffats scour the globe to find factories committed to fair labor and ethical manufacturing practices. Kirrin Finch’s linen suits are very popular, and great for a summertime formal event or wedding.

Image courtesy of bigbudpress.com

Big Bud Press

In an era where Made in America is practically considered over, Big Bud Press managed to not only create a gender-fluid line of clothing but also meet a goal of only using fabrics made in America. The Los Angeles-based company specializes in everyday unisex goods and has expanded its reach beyond California, with stores in Chicago and New York City. The brand prides itself on both gender inclusivity and doing all production sweatshop-free.

Image courtesy of thephluidproject.com

The Phluid Project

The Phluid Project is one of the major e-commerce platforms for gender-fluid fashion. Founded in 2018 by Rob Garrett Smith, a retail veteran who has held stints at Macy’s, Levi’s, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret, The Phluid Project’s mission is to dissolve the boundaries of gender in fashion, all while engaging in community and activism.

In addition to their own merchandise, Phluid also regularly partners with other brands and releases collaborative merchandise. Aside from their e-commerce platform, Phluid also has the Phluid Foundation, a non-profit that helps direct resources to BIPOC members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Kristopher Fraser