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Frank Olito
- Banana Republic launched the Wear & Share collection, a line of gender-neutral clothing, in 2019.
- I wore eight items from the collection over the course of a workweek to see what it's like to wear gender-neutral clothing.
- Overall, the items seemed to lean more towards the masculine side of clothing, so no one noticed any difference in my wardrobe.
- In my opinion, brands should be making gender-neutral clothing lines that are more about the celebration of gender rather than simple clothing that only feature basics.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
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In 2019, Banana Republic joined a long list of brands when it created the Wear & Share collection, a gender-neutral clothing line.
In other words, anyone, no matter how they identify, can wear these clothes. On the company's site, it's described as "a curation of classic Banana Republic pieces for anyone to wear in the modern world."
But some people on social media believe the collection isn't the best example of what a gender-neutral line should look like. For example, one Twitter user wrote, "Every 'gender-neutral' collection that doesn't include dresses and skirts is irrelevant."
I decided to give the line a chance and wear eight items from the collection for one week to see what it's really like to dress in gender-neutral clothing. This is what happened.
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Banana Republic created this collection in 2019 to be more inclusive.
"Wear & Share is a curated collection of pieces that can be worn by any gender or gender identity," a rep at Gap Inc. — Banana Republic's parent company — told Insider. "They are universal in appeal. Like all of our clothes, we welcome anyone who feels good wearing pieces from this collection to enjoy them."
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Since the collection has one size for both men and women, the site offers a chart to help you decide which size you should order.
But if you're like me and don't know how much your chest measures in inches, it may be difficult. I ended up opting for a mixture of sizes based on the style of the shirts.
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From the start, I was skeptical. The clothing didn't seem all that different from what I would normally buy in the men's clothing section at other stores.
At this point, I was worried that the company was guilty of what is called "pinkwashing," which is when big brands cater to the LGBTQ community to appear LGBTQ-inclusive when, really, it's just a profitable business move.
The company told Insider its track record shows this is not the case.
"Banana Republic and our parent company Gap Inc. have a longstanding commitment to LGBTQ equality, having earned a 100% ranking from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index for 15 consecutive years and having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the movement for full equality," a company rep said. "Our commitment to inclusivity is unwavering, and we are constantly striving to build on our record to best reflect the diversity of our customers in our campaigns and product offerings."
Despite my hesitation, I still decided to give Banana Republic the benefit of the doubt and give the collection a chance.
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I finally decided to buy eight items from the collection, costing a total of $490.
When I ordered, there were a bunch of promotions, so the original price before discounts was $558. Although the price didn't necessarily surprise me because Banana Republic is usually on the more expensive side, the cost didn't sit well with me.
Although anyone can wear this line, I believe the LGBTQ and nonbinary communities will be most interested because they are more willing to blur gender lines, yet many people within this community will not be able to spend $100 on a jacket. As marginalized communities, LGBTQ people are more likely to be poor, unemployed, and even homeless: Transgender people and the LGBTQ community make up 20 to 40% of youth homelessness in the US. A genderless collection at this price may not be realistic.
When the clothing finally arrived, I realized the line wasn't just gender-neutral but also color neutral.
Having everything laid out in front of me, I noticed that everything I ordered was either black, white, or grey.
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Finally, it was time to start wearing the clothing. On the first day, I wore the grey cardigan sweater and the black, crew-neck T-shirt.
At the beginning of the week, I decided not to tell anyone I was trying out the gender-neutral collection to see if people would notice something different about my style and wardrobe. I figured at least some people might notice because the $64 cardigan was more femininely shaped and cut than most of the clothing I own.
By the end of the day, nobody had noticed.
The quality of the cardigan and T-shirt were remarkable.
The ribbed sweater is thick and warm with built-in pockets that disappear when the sweater is draped. It felt like a giant blanket wrapped around me, and the $19 T-shirt was equally as soft.
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On Tuesday, I wore the collection's mock turtle neck, but I didn't feel like I was breaking any gender norms.
The mock turtle neck is a popular style in men's and women's fashion lines. This $109 sweater was simple and I could easily see anyone of any gender wearing it, but it's not a standout.
Again, no one noticed I was wearing gender-neutral clothing. This played into my perception that the clothes were more masculine-leaning, basic, and not all that different from what I'd usually wear.
This sweater felt more uncomfortable than others I own.
The sweater was just too itchy. Throughout the day, I felt the fabric scratch against my skin and several times I had to fight the need to just take the sweater off.
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On Wednesday, I donned Banana Republic's Heritage Mariner Stripe T-Shirt, which cost $50.
After the first two days, I decided to tell my coworkers about the project and explained that this shirt was supposed to be gender-neutral. One of my coworkers who identifies as female said she couldn't imagine the shirt looking good on a female body. To be fair, I don't think the shirt would look great on anyone's body — no matter how they identify. I thought the stripes on this shirt made my hips look wide and bulky.
Furthermore, the shirt had an uncomfortable neckline that exposed the back of my neck.
The neckline is something I'm not used to and never experienced in men's fashion. The dropped neckline in the back is more typical in women's clothing, and I didn't feel comfortable having the back of my neck exposed.
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My outfit on the fourth day was the first time my entire outfit was part of the collection. The flannel pants, jacket, and shirt are all gender-neutral.
This was my favorite outfit of the entire week. The $73 pants fit perfectly and hugged all the right places, while the T-shirt perfectly complemented the grey pants. I decided to layer the outfit with the collection's $150 bomber jacket, which helped keep me warm in the office.
I slowly realized that I loved this outfit the most because it would be the exact outfit I would buy if I was shopping from a men's clothing line. Although it was labeled gender-neutral, the clothes felt largely masculine.
The bomber jacket from this day was my favorite item of the entire collection.
There was a zipper on the upper sleeve, which made the jacket more visually appealing. The pockets at the bottom of the jacket were also surprisingly cozy, as they were lined with super-soft fabric.
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On the last day, I wore this flannel shirt jacket and decided it was my least favorite item I bought from the collection.
For starters, I didn't understand if I was supposed to wear the $78 item as a button-down shirt or as a jacket. I decided to go for the former, and I instantly regretted it. The cut was strange on my body, and it felt too boxy. The fabric was also weird so that it continued to wrinkle throughout the day.
The off-white color of the shirt was also a turn off for me.
From the buttons to the color to the fabric, nothing about this shirt was appealing.
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After a week of wearing the gender-neutral clothing line, I had mixed feelings about it.
Some of the clothes were comfortable, high quality, and easy to wear, but I wouldn't exactly call this line groundbreaking.
To me, it seems that instead of making a collection that blurs and celebrates gender, Banana Republic has created a line of basics that most people can wear because each item is identity-less.
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In other words, in my opinion, you can't make a black T-shirt and slap the label "gender-neutral" on it.
I think Nicoline Larsen said it best in their article at Vice about gender-neutral clothing.
"In the past few years, Burberry, Gucci, Acne Studios, Zara, H&M, and Asos have all launched unisex collections," Larsen wrote. "They often consist of white T-shirts, hoodies, and baggy jeans, none of which really transgress that many norms. In my opinion, the truly radical thing would be to have dresses, ties, crop tops, and chinos in one big hodgepodge, and it would be up to the consumer to decide whether each piece was for them or not."
Sure, I would keep some of the items from Banana Republic's Wear & Share collection, but I think brands should be taking bigger risks and making louder statements with what they call "gender-neutral."
- Read more:
- 13 celebrities who don't identify as either male or female
- 25 inspiring vintage photos of the LGBTQ community
- 31 inspiring photos of same-sex weddings around the world
- 12 transgender models who are changing the industry
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