Unisex clothing: what does gender have to do with clothing?

What is unisex clothing? Who wears it? How is it different from 'regular clothing'?

Today, we are going to talk through the common misunderstandings around gender and clothing. We will also give you a little quiz, to determine what the best options are for you.

What does unisex clothing mean?

If you walk into a clothing store today, you are likely going to see big signs saying "mens" "womens" and potentially "kids". Think of this as a flow, that filters everyone who walks in to the section made 'for them.'

Unisex clothing is supposed to be clothing that is made for 'one sex' (that's what unisex literally means). We can interpret that to mean that unisex clothing is clothing that isn't made for just men or just women, but for both.

Okay, but what clothing is made for men and women?

That's a great question. The reason clothing is traditionally designed for men or for women is because there are different body shapes and proportions to consider. So how can clothing be designed to fit a 5'4" woman with wide hips and also fit a 6'1" man with no hips and a long torso?

The simple answer is: bagginess. Almost all adult unisex clothing is extremely baggy, because if you do that, then it will of course 'fit' any body.

For instance, the picture below is of Pacsun's 'unisex' clothing line:

Unisex baby clothes

By contrast, the concept of unisex baby clothes is a little different. This is because there isn't much of a difference between body shape and proportions based on sex assigned at birth. That means that the 'fit' for baby clothes is naturally unisex.

However, because we live in a society that likes to signal gender through clothing, baby clothes are often made in colors or with patterns associated with a specific gender, such as pink for girls and blue for boys.

If you search for 'unisex baby clothes' you will primarily find white or neutral pastel tone colored clothing, like this:

What's the difference between unisex and gender neutral?

The short answer is: not a lot. Gender neutral clothing is also trying to create clothing that will work for everyone. The problem, as we pointed out above, is that bodies are fundamentally different. It is not reasonable to assume that the same shirt will fit a cis man, a cis woman, a nonbinary person, and a trans man in similar ways, simply because of how much variation there is in bone structure, muscle and fat distribution.

If you'd like to do a deep dive on gender neutral clothing, we suggest you check out this article.

The main takeaway is that we believe clothing should be created for every body type and gender expression, but that the way to do this isn't to make clothing 'unisex' but instead to expand the range of options available, so that everyone can find something that works well for them.

What are the best unisex clothing brands?

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for the baggy, oversized unisex look, you can try brands like Pacsun.

If you are looking for masculine style clothing, but in a more femme fit, we recommend checking out Kirrin Finch.

If you are masc-of-center and want men's clothing that fits your body, then Both& has developed a fit just for you. You can learn more about that fit here, and shop the collection here.