In the huge Citadium store in the department store district of Paris (9th arrondissement), you have to browse to find a section dedicated to men or women. Here, in this paradise for young people in search of "stylish" sapes for their return to school on Tuesday, it is now the "mixed stands" that are obvious.
We recognize them thanks to a house logo that merges the male and female symbols. The Printemps group's urban fashion brand, very popular with middle school, high school and other students, is surfing on unisex fashion, a trend also called “gender less”, “no gender”, “gender fluid” or “gender neutral” which shatters gender stereotypes.
"We simply adjust the sizes"
Cheap and luxury brands have been offering collections without distinction for several years. The phenomenon is not new, but it is gaining ground. At Citadium, the ambitious renovation project of the flagship store of the brand has just resulted in the disappearance of the “men's fashion” floor and the “women's fashion” floor to give pride of place to totally mixed fashion.
"It's simple, we take what we like," applauds Iris, a 19-year-old student. Teenage boys and girls now dress the same or almost the same, putting on the same t-shirts, denim jackets with sheepskin collar or sneakers, ambassadors of gender-neutral shoes. “We simply adjust the sizes. An XS or S sweatshirt for a girl will be more M or L for a boy, ”explains a Citadium salesperson.
In the eyes of stylist Thomas Zylberman, unisex fashion has certainly taken on a new dimension among young people, but it is not new. “The idea of androgyny has permeated Western fashion a lot for a long time,” underlines this tendency to the agency Carlin Creative. And to cite, jumbled up, the tuxedo for women by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960s or the beige trench coat worn four decades ago, as much by Vic's "dad" as "mum" (Sophie Marceau) in the cult film “La Boum”.
"It is especially the wardrobe of boys that we offer to girls"
For him, the unisex wardrobe has mainly borrowed men's clothes. “Making no gender collections is very complicated. In everyday fashion, it is especially boys' wardrobes that are offered to girls. They are the ones who wear boys' clothes and much less the other way around, ”he says, referring to“ a question of morphology ”.
With the exception of a few "Hollywood stars" men, the dress is not, for example, masculine. “On the other hand, the floral motif, which was very feminine, now appears on boys' t-shirts in the form of hibiscus in particular,” he notes. Among girls, the hoodie with larger proportions, "oversize" is "a craze" as "the big boy-friend shirt" - the one stuck to the boyfriend - or the polo shirt.
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Centered around “streetwear” and “sportswear”, the standardization of looks, in particular those of adolescents who want to “look like others, integrate into social groups, especially not to stand out”, does not harm, according to him , At the creation. “The unisex trend questions proportions, poses the question of colors. Fashion is constantly seeking to manipulate, to twist the codes, ”he applauds.
Children's fashion, still very stereotypical
On the other hand, he observes that "children's fashion, up to 12 years old, remains very conservative, very gendered", in line with the stereotypes that still often appear in the minds of their parents ... putting their hand in the wallet . Teenagers are less "imbued" with it. “However, it is they who make the act of purchase,” he recalls.
So how did we come to this mix? “Unisex fashion was first initiated by girls who took an interest in the locker room of their boyfriend, father, brother… It's a bit of a disagreement with the super-feminine woman, it's envy to give the image of a stronger woman, more warrior ”, decrypts Sophie Bocquet, commercial director of the Citadium chain.
“Then, little by little, the boys also turned away from completely masculine lockers to go, for example, to more fitted , tighter jackets , but also jewelry, bags, all the accessories,” she continues. And there are fewer and fewer colors assigned to gender. "Purple in boys is now common," notes an 18-year-old student.
"Not enough choice for girls"
“Me, I like everything! “Enthuses Nina, 14, in front of the“ unisex corner ”of the Carhartt brand. It is especially the clothes worn earlier by the boys that make her crack. “There wasn't enough choice among the girls. I feel better in men's clothes ”, appreciates the young lady in the white polo shirt, who also has a weakness for“ vintage ”clothes. "She finds her happiness in her father's cupboards," smiles her mother Corinne. Nina thus stole a canvas jacket from daddy, whose sleeves she rolled up.
Sixtine, 16, is also seduced by the abolition of borders. "But for the pants, it's more complicated to find", loose the high school student. “The differentiation, today, it is done by the cuts of the jeans. The high waist, for example, is only for girls, ”says Quentin, 17.
This craze for unisex fashion goes far beyond the teenage generation and is echoed in the adult world. "It is the acceptance of the female part and the male part of each being", summarizes the sociologist Émilie Coutant, head of the research firm Tendance sociale.
Among the many reasons for the phenomenon are feminist demands in recent years. "We see more and more women who appreciate not being recognized as a woman by their appearances", she analyzes. For her, unisex fashion is not synonymous with standardization. “In both men and women, some will overplay femininity, others virility, masculinity. In the end, we are in the multiplicity of identities, ”she says.
And also gender-neutral beauty products
It is not only clothing brands that play the unisex card, the cosmetics sector, too, is increasingly offering gender-neutral products targeting young people in particular. A month ago, the American singer Rihanna launched a new range of skin care products called "Fenty Skin" which is vegan, gluten-free and… unisex. The cleansing treatment, the tonic serum and the moisturizer are intended for both women and men.
The world of perfumes also imagines bottles erasing the boundaries of the masculine and the feminine. At the start of the year, Calvin Klein made a splash with the “CK Everyone” eau de toilette, the first eco-responsible fragrance with a mixed fragrance. The “gender neutral” trend can be seen even in razors. Last summer, the French company Bic, which has always declined this type of product in a male version and a female version, invented a brand of rechargeable and unisex razors called “Made for you”, sold exclusively on the Amazon site. in the USA.