The fashion industry at large has long segregated clothing into two groupings - menswear and womenswear. “And if we do need to refer to gender for the sake of clarity in conversation, we use the term ‘all gender’ because clothes are genderless by nature and, therefore, for all genders.” If you find something you like, if it fits you, if it makes you feel good about yourself, it’s for you - no restrictions,” Borromeo explains. “We don’t refer to gender at all in the shopping experience. Perhaps most unique of all, though, is ClHu’s complete lack of gendered labeling. (“It’s pretty simple - a horizontal line with colors that move through the color spectrum from left to right as the size increases from a youth 10-12 to an adult XL,” she explains.) She also came up with a direct-to-consumer model that minimizes waste, as well as an intuitive color-based size scheme that provides customers with the freedom to explore personal fit preferences. She wanted to go about things differently - and that she did.īorromeo launched ClHu - a quippy abbreviation of the brand’s tagline and foundational pillar, ‘Clothes for Humans’ - in March of 2022 with a 28-piece collection featuring items like cargo pants, gorpcore-esque utility skirts, and free-flowing tank dresses. However, “after spending over two decades in an industry built on excess and very little regard for the grossly harmful effects it has on the environment,” Borromeo was reluctant to contribute to the ongoing cycle of overconsumption. And I couldn’t stop wondering why we continue to force these outdated gender binaries on a generation that doesn’t believe in them They just want to feel comfortable and free to express themselves.”īorromeo, an industry veteran who’s held tenure at Thakoon and Alexander McQueen, felt galvanized to remedy the dilemma her daughter and countless other folks face when shopping for clothes that don’t reflect a binary understanding of gender. “Witnessing my own child’s courage to reject gender norms in a society that pushes back against was deeply inspiring. “It was extremely challenging for her to find items she felt comfortable in, that were well-made, that fit her, and allowed her to feel like herself,” Borromeo tells TZR. She wasn’t the one leaving stores empty-handed, though: It was her daughter, who identifies as gender neutral, that was struggling to find clothing. Maria Borromeo was incentivized to launch her gender-fluid fashion brand, ClHu (pronounced ‘clue’), after several frustrating and ill-fated shopping endeavors.
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