Genderless clothing made a splash at New York Fashion Week this year, thanks to designer Andre Landeros Michel.
His Fall 2016 collection, entitled STRANGE, comes from his label, LANDEROS NEW YORK, which he founded in 2013. It's inspired by Steve Strange, the beloved doorman at the legendary 1980s London club, The Blitz. Over the past three years, LANDEROS NEW YORK has offered clothing for men, women and everybody outside and in between the gender binary. This latest collection is no different.
"Genderless/agender/unisex clothing is a direct response to the feminist and LGBT rights movements," Landeros Michel recently told The Huffington Post. "I believe genderless fashion can help to usher in gender equality and cater to those who do not conform to normative gender roles. Unisex fashion has always had a negative image due to sizing and fit issues, therefore bespoke tailoring and custom pieces are essential for any genderless brand that works with high quality tailoring."
The Huffington Post chatted with Landeros Michel this week about STRANGE and his vision for this collection. Check out the short interview, as well as more photos, below.
The Huffington Post: Why did you want to do a genderless collection?
Andre Landeros Michel: STRANGE is inspired by the New Romantic movement in London in the late 1970s/early '80s. This progressive era encouraged and celebrated the playing with and experimentation of gender roles and norms. This movement subsequently influenced the New York "club kid" era, where I found myself in the '90s, so breaking gender norms and experimenting with unconventional tailoring has always been at the core of my aesthetic from the start.
We are also living in a new era. Millennials feel that heteronormative culture, conservative values and traditional men's and women's wear is outdated and irrelevant. By creating a genderless label, I hope to celebrate the destruction of antiquated traditions and celebrate equality.
How will genderless fashion change the future of the industry?
Genderless/agender/unisex clothing is a direct response to the feminist and LGBT rights movements. I believe genderless fashion can help to usher in gender equality and cater to those who do not conform to normative gender roles. Unisex fashion has always had a negative image due to sizing and fit issues, therefore bespoke tailoring and custom pieces are essential for any genderless brand that works with high quality tailoring.
LANDEROS NEW YORK focuses on quality, local, NYC production and sophisticated tailoring. The genderless aspect adds an element of complexity that is not as obvious in traditional men's and women's wear. Fortunately, our label believes in "slow fashion" and strives to cater to the misfits of the world -- regardless of gender. I see more labels incorporating this bespoke/atelier model into their genderless collections in the future.
For more from LANDEROS NEW YORK, head here or check out the label's official Facebook page here. To see more photos from the collection, click on the slideshow below.
