From Unisex to Agender : Alternative Practice Principles and Element Arrangement in Fashion Design.

Abstract

There is a significant design gap between gendered and genderless fashion designs. Genderless fashion is not a trend but a new normal, which enables self-identity to show and explores the future gender of human society. This study aims to benefit modern genderless fashion design and specifically, it clarifies the unisex concept transformation effect to fashion and develops practice principles for designers.

This study applies a historical analyzing method to identify ‘unisex costume’ from aspects definition, history, modernization, ancient attire, costume structure, and wearable skills. By historical case comparison, this study revealed the relationship between gender and fashion, and the design experiment is taken follow the action research method to test the hypothesis that the inertia and demand on the relationship of the prototype and silhouette in gender and then flexible design experiment fit with both gender bodies. A survey was distributed to fashion experts and received positive feedback to improve the research validity.

As a result, this study produced a genderless collection and guide manner as outcomes to explain the new knowledge gained. The conclusions suggest that, in concept, representations of individual style are more important and influential than gendered dress codes when designing genderless collections. In practice, the flexible design of adjustment and size definition are reasonable solutions to fit with different bodies. This study's alternative exploration yielded conceptual and practical design principles to blur the gendered costume design boundary, to push more gender-free possibilities in fashion design, to reach the objective of benefit modern agender fashion as contributions.

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