WHAT IS GENDER NEUTRAL CLOTHING ANYWAY?
I talk pink and blue with Kelly Ekardt, founder of kids’ clothes label girlstalktoboys and former fashion buyer
I would describe gender neutral clothing as clothing that doesn’t necessarily scream boy or girl. Colours aren’t just pink or purple for girls and blue or green for boys.
Would I describe my collection as strictly gender neutral? Not exactly. I do have several pieces that are gender neutral but I’m not afraid of a pretty pink for a girl or a nice navy blue for a boy. It can work vice versa too, though!
Overall, the pieces that people loved the most in my collection were not clearly one way or the other, like the Maya denim harem trouser and the Florian moon tee. I gave the pieces names, but I didn’t label them boy or girl. Let the kids decide!
It will be interesting to see which categories shops put the pieces in.
It’s easier for a customer to go online and look under the ‘girls’ section for a dress than it is to look under just ‘kids clothing’ and scroll to find a dress. But maybe this would change if more shops uncategorised clothing.
I know from my experience as a buyer that many people lack the creativity or eye to picture their kids in something that isn’t in a certain category. So shops have an incentive to cater to that.
I don’t think as a parent I should push certain colours or styles on my kids, but unfortunately, kids are influenced by other kids. I never dressed my daughter Edith in pink when she was young, but one day she came home and asked for a pink frilly dress. I’m not going to deny her of certain clothing pieces because I think it might be encouraging her to be too girly. I’m more interested in her finding her own style and being confident in what she’s wearing.
Some kids look good in certain colours and this might include your normal blues and pinks, so what’s the harm?
