Equipment launches gender fluid collection
There are a few things to break down here first:
Equipment, if you don’t know, is the Parisian brand that has offered its version of French sophistication and chicness since 1976 with collection after collection of smart separates. The brand pretty much reinvented the classic shirt into an androgynous piece fit for anyone’s wardrobe.
The Phluid Project is the world’s first gender-free fashion retailer based in New York (the boutique opened its doors in March 2018). The ethos of Phluid is to break down barriers and have everyone express themselves with fashion regardless of gender or sex. I’ve been to the store in NYC and tried on skirts, shirts, heels and trousers. It’s a fabulous space with no judgement.
So now I’ve done the intros, it’s easier to string the two together… Equipment has collaborated with the Phluid Project and created a collection called THEM which is aimed at everyone, no matter of ones gender. The strap line is: ‘FOR ALL GENDERS IDENTITIES EXPRESSIONS’ and the range riffs on the androgyny that the brand has become synonymous with.
The campaign to launch the collection packed a punch too. I’ve read quite a lot of interviews from the CEO of Equipment, James Miller, and he has said that THEM isn’t meant to be hugely disruptive or shock people, more that it’s fully inclusive and provides a neutral space for anyone to shop in. The stars of the campaign, as you can see above, are proud to include their pronouns on the images, which really opens up the dialogue of gender conformity and how fashion isn’t just for men and women.
Don’t the clothes look bloody great??? And that’s what I love about this campaign: it’s shining a light, a big spot light on a subject that really shouldn’t be a subject but that offers an easy way to digest gender, AND provides incredible style too. Vidal’s blue look is fantastic, and doesn’t Nicole look great in her colour combination?
Here’s the launch video that Equipment put out on their Instagram:
The one disappointing factor of this collection and campaign is that there isn’t much body inclusivity. I know you can’t put EVERYTHING into everything, but the fact that Equipment and The Phluid Project found these amazing cast members meant that there are lots of people out there ready to talk about acceptance.
It would have been nice to see some people in the campaign of different sizes. To me, this group of people, amazing as they are, don’t particularly reach out to me as someone who isn’t sample size. I’d still buy the pieces, but #justsaying.
