Questioning Masculinity and the Gender Binary in Fashion

Abstract

This article introduces the work of Belgian designer Glenn Martens as creative director of the Paris-based brand Y/Project and its “unisex” approach to fashion. Drawing on queer theory and theories of non-binary and genderqueer identities, the proposed investigation addresses the power of fashion in rethinking bodily gender boundaries and in imagining possible escapes from the tyranny of the gender binary in fashion. To do so, I propose a qualitative multidimensional reading of the brand, in which I look at how Martens critically questions normative assumptions about masculinity and the male dressed body. The analysis takes into consideration the Y/Project e-commerce with its structure and positioning in the online retailing system, the design of garments, and the visuality of fashion shows.