GENDER EXPANSIVE FASHION

The sewing industry is beginning to break free of the binary and create inclusive designs for every body

- Emilia Bergoglio

It is undoubted that the sewing industry has, in recent years, attempted to make strides to be more inclusive, trying to portray the true diversity of the world we live in. The fashion designer, teacher, and author of the book Sewing Basics for Every Body, Wendy Ward, put it best by stating, "There are more people enjoying sewing than the stereotypical young, slim white woman, which is the image that so often accompanies sewing patterns, books, magazines and blogs.

"I was getting tired of seeing this stereotype repeated endlessly," she added, and I honestly couldn't agree more. In truth, though, I believe that we cannot truly say we are striving for inclusivity without considering gender inclusivity too, and we cannot do that if we allow the enduring presence of the gender binary in sewing patterns to be accepted as normal.

DEFINING DETAILS

I understand that, among the myriad of reasons to be frustrated at the fashion industry, of which sewing is undoubtedly part, the existence of terms such as 'menswear' and 'womenswear' seems completely benign; after all, the very definition of gender binary may be elusive to most people.