Genderless fashion gains popularity in Japan
http://archive.is/9uAjS
Excerpts:
Instagram icon and model Genking is a proud flag bearer for “genderless” fashion in which young men adopt unequivocally feminine styles and challenge traditional norms.
Genking’s long bleached blond locks, curled eyelashes and fondness for both womenswear and menswear testify to a self-professed identity as a “genderless” person. Born Genki Tanaka, Genking fell in love with fashion at an early age. “When I turned 20, I quit pretending.”
Genking set up an Instagram account where selfies showcase a style that has attracted nearly 850,000 followers, kicking off a television career and culminating in a catwalk appearance at the packed Tokyo Girls Collection show last year.
In Japan, men play every role during traditional kabuki-all-male theatre performances…. Few young men, however, would have made the leap from watching male actors play women on stage to adopting “girly” accessories and wearing makeup themselves, were it not for the overwhelming influence of Korean pop music and Japanese anime movies.
“When K-pop became big in Japan, many young men adopted that style, trying to copy the effeminate facial features of male band members,” Janette told AFP. Meanwhile, as anime’s popularity rose, young boys turned to makeup in a bid to resemble their favorite cartoon characters.
Designer Tsukasa Mikami opened Tokyo fashion week Monday with a show featuring male and female models in floral silkscreen-printed garments and combat boots. Mikami, whose previous collections have showcased men and women wearing the same garments, said creating unisex clothing came naturally. “I don’t make any distinction between the sexes,” he told AFP.
Meanwhile, in a nod to the trend’s growing reach, retail giant Zara last week launched a unisex line of sweatshirts, tank tops and sneakers called “Ungendered”.