10 Designers redefining gender roles
To commemorate our forever happy, beloved and colorful Pride Month, we are sharing a selection of some of our favorite emergent designers and independent houses that celebrate the gender-fluid culture.
Rich Mnisi (South Africa)
In 2015, young designer Rich Mnisi founded this South African fashion project. The objective? Telling unique stories through the exploration of treasures engraved within Africa and the world of modern culture. Inspired by nature and art, we can appreciate the craftsmanship embodied in his designs, accompanied by minimal forms and contemporary elements.
Photo: @rich_mnisi
Jacqueline Loekito (Basel)
Being half British and half Indonesian, her intercultural heritage is successfully reflected in Jacqueline’s fashion line. Since 2018, the designer has merged a conventional woman’s closet with a man’s closet, bringing as a result, powerful collections full of color and fun shapes.
Photo: @jacquelineloekito
Agender (South Korea)
Unisex, modern and casual with an athletic twist. Since 2017, South Korean brand, Agender, has built a distinctive style around oversized forms and clean cuts, blending casual streetwear with athleisure vibes.
Photo: @agender_official
Sánchez-Kane (Mexico City)
Combining her Latin American heritage and experimenting with traditional tailoring and gender inclusivity, Mexican designer Barbara Sánchez-Kane presents each of her collections through different and creative formats such as installations, performances and writing. Breaking the rules of dress codes with a kitsch aesthetic and twisting Mexican traditions to portray a new perception of beauty, the universe of Sánchez-Kane introduces us to the main character: “El Macho Sentimental”, who she describes as “a human of any gender that is no longer denying its impulses.”
Photo: @sanchez_kane
One DNA (NYC)
Founded by Simon Black and Travis Weaver and settled along independent workshops in New York, One DNA’s items are not only gender-neutral but eco-conscious too. Each piece is designed to last indefinitely thanks to their high quality fabrics and their timeless style. “One DNA is an independently owned and operated small business. One DNA is a black owned business. One DNA is a queer owned business”.
Photo: @onedna.earth
Wales Bonner (London)
After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2014 and inspired by critical theory, composition and literature, Grace Wales Bonner launched her eponymous label first as a menswear collection and soon expanding it to womenswear. After presenting her first solo runway show “Ezekiel” in 2016 and receiving the LVMH Young Designer Prize, the British designer has routed her fashion line into a hybrid of European and Afro-Atlantic aesthetic that addresses the politics of identity and sexuality.
Photo: @walesbonner
s.k. manor hill (NYC)
After studying fashion design in Florence and deeply inspired by Italian artisanal culture and art history, San Francisco designer, Dominic Sondag, started his career first learning from several fashion brands in London and finally settling down in New York City, where he developed and launched his first collection in 2016. Since then, his designs are known for the use of natural fiber fabrics sourced from Europe and Japan, a timeless and meticulous craftsmanship and, of course, a genderless identity.
Photo: @skmanorhill
Rad Hourani (Paris)
Inspired by diverse art expressions, designer, activist, artist and film director, Jordanian Rad Hourani celebrates neutrality as “a defining human trait” and introduces us to a universe freed from nations, gender, age and race. A discourse centered in our social, religious, economic and geopolitical context that invites us to rethink our ideas of freedom through unisex gender-neutral ready-to-wear collections.
Photo: @radhourani
PAY’S (Mexico City)
Under the creative direction of Raúl Rojo and Manolo Martínez, this fashion brand specializes in 100% natural cotton knitwear. A colorful and fun line starring sweaters, ponchos and (believe it or not) summer clothing, that mixes Mexican elements with tribal details and pop culture characters.
Photo: @ppaayyss
Chelsea Bravo (London – NYC)
“Recreating the experience of viewing art in a museum or gallery through garments”. This is the life motto that Chelsea Bravo has been exploring since the launch of her very first collection “Concourse”, presented in 2014. Born in London but currently based in Brooklyn, New York, Chelsea Bravo’s fashion line features womenswear and menswear both outlined by minimal and free silhouettes.
Photo: @chelseabravo_