More gender-inclusive clothes are showing up in stores and online.
In celebration of pride month, you'll see a special collection at Abercrombie and Fitch. The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, helped design the gender-inclusive clothes.
You'll also see clothes from gender-free fashion brand The Phluid Project at stores, including Macy's and Target. Its CEO says he's seen significant growth in gender-neutral clothing over the last three years.
“People are searching for it and companies are starting to get more creative and finding opportunities to find products that are gender-neutral and to create a gender-neutral shopping experience,” said Rob Smith, Founder and CEO of The Phluid Project.
He found searches for gender-neutral clothes have doubled year after year. The trend is also gaining attention beyond Pride Month.
“I think when it comes down to is, when you meet most people, many women for sure, and many men, that there's just a form of expression. It has nothing to do with their gender identity or their sexual orientation. It just has something to do with the way they want to express themselves,” said Smith. “What we're seeing is companies realizing the direct lifesaving impact that their support and that their clothing can have on young people's lives.”
The Trevor Project found more than half of young people they surveyed in 2020 said brands who support the LGBTQ+ community positively impact how they feel about being LGBTQ+.
Last year, the organization helped more than 150,000 youth through its free and confidential crisis counseling.
Macy's will let you round up to donate your extra change to The Trevor Project through June.
At Abercrombie stores, you can do that year-round.
“We have the opportunity to in the stores, online, really send a message of love and support to LGBTQ+ youth and meet them where they are and let them know that we are here for them whenever and wherever they need us,” said Shira Kogan, Director of Corporate Development at The Trevor Project.
The Phluid Project is also working to make the entire shopping experience more inclusive. It has been getting a lot of interest for its gender-expansive training focusing especially on transgender and gender nonconforming. This launched last year and they have been working with companies, including Uber, American Express, and Target.
