Aesthetic Characteristics of Genderfluid Appeared in Modern Fashion : Focusing on the Menswear Collection from S/S 2018 through F/W 2022

Abstract

This study aimed to find out how the tendencies of genderfluid were expressed in recent menswear collections. We derived the characteristics of design expression based on fashion and the previous research related to gender identity historically shown. In the cases of men’s clothing collections with genderfluid tendencies, we found out characteristics such as “deconstruction of existing concept”, “extreme expression of gender identity”, “The eclecticism of gender identity and various cultural styles”, and “expression of the third gender identity”. The results of the study are as follows. First, deconstructing existing ideas means dismantling gender stereotypes. In the case study, it was shown that men wear and share the items such as skirts, crop tops, and bra tops, which women have enjoyed, Second, extreme expression of gender identity is to blur the boundaries of gender by expressing the image of the opposite gender in an extreme way. And in the cases, it was presented by men wearing women’s dresses and adopting women’s exposed parts, etc. Third, the eclecticism of gender identity and various cultural styles appeared in a style that eliminated gender distinction by mixing and combining not only male and female images but also cultural and periodic elements. Lastly, based on pluralism, the expression of the third gender identity was seen to represent ambiguity that dismantle not only the gender boundary but also gender distinction in clothing.