Menswear? Womenswear? Who cares?
Gender fluidity is by no means a new concept on runways and in the fashion industry, but retail is starting to catch up as fashion breaks the binary through non-gendered stores and collections.
The Manhattan-based Phluid Project is a storefront/cafe/event venue geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community. Founder Rob Smith, a retail exec with 3 decades of experience at brands like Nike, Macy’s, and Victoria’s Secret, set up shop just a few years ago.
At Phluid, mannequins lack the bionic breasts and bulges typical of fashion dummies. They sport pants, skirts, and sweatshirts emblazoned with “They Power,” a nod to nonbinary pronoun preference.
Over the summer, Phluid worked with the HBO series “Euphoria” to set up pop-ups across the country. At each of the pop-up locations, shoppers could check out a capsule collection and sit in on panel discussions. Phluid also launched a gender-fluid collection with the French label Equipment.
According to Pew Research Center, 35% of Gen Z knows someone who identifies as nonbinary. And, as Smith points out, you can’t discount this demographic.
“By next year, Gen Z (will account) for ⅓ of the national population, which accounts for 40% of US spending power,” Smith told Fortune.
And it seems a niche concept is going mainstream.
The fast-fashion giant H&M has worked gender fluidity into its strategy through efforts like its unisex Denim United collection and its collab with the non-gendered Swedish brand Eytys. And last summer beauty retailer Sephora launched a campaign painting a broader picture of inclusion.