Agender Dress: Bethnals

"People want what they want."

“I worked in the fast fashion arena for 14 years, and by the end of that period of my career I was working for a fashion giant as their senior denim buyer,” hears Clash. “It taught me invaluable lessons which have allowed me to go forward, but it was time to get out and do my own thing… Enter Bethnals.”

Launched last year, Bethnals is the Kickstarter funded, agender focused, independent denim label founded by Melissa Clement, currently in residence at 73 Brushfield Street (Spitalfields).

“There are very few brands that actually design non-gendered clothes,” remarks Clement of the label’s perhaps most prominent point of difference. “Yes, men are being encouraged to wear more feminine shapes, or women are being sent down the runway in ‘masc-looks’ but this it not genderless dressing. It is just men and women swapping clothes.”

Bethnals, for its part, isn’t concerned with swapping traditional aesthetics, instead positioning itself with a simple all gender inclusive aesthetic (“we want to celebrate the individual”); on the surface it presents a sort of relaxed, Sunday afternoon stroll-cum-east London freelancer type vibe. Fans of Cos and Carhartt alike will be taken with the classics re-mastered appeal, while pretty much anyone can get on board with its concept of fuss free.

“This is of course an incredible step forward,” continues Melissa of the unisex wardrobe, “and weakening the gendered ties we associate with certain garments is the direction we should be taking to reach somewhere where truly non-gendered dressing and design can occur; people want what they want, not what they are told their gender should want.”

She describes Bethnals’ clothes as trendless, which will no doubt resonate with the idea of style over season often apparent across menswear. Of the current SS15 collection, she notes that, “It always starts with the fabric for me, and for this season I saw so many amazing stripes, linens and lighter weight denims which we then combined with the silhouettes we want to wear all the time.”

Hence the petite collection boasts granddad collared shirts, longline duster jackets and cropped and tapered jeans, the former in shades of white, grey and blue pinstripe, the latter in a variety of washes.

Starting out on Kickstarter last June – “very scary for all of us at Bethnals HQ” – the response has since been wildly positive, evident by the fact they’re here today. “I guess one could say that the response was great – we were confident in the product, and the idea, and people understood us too; we felt very supported.” It’s a surprise, we’re told, when she meets someone wearing or talking about the label, but a great excitement too.

As for the aforementioned retail space – all white walls and effortless merchandising, potted plants and Evermore candles – the terms are temporary and the label will move out in 11 weeks, but an IRL experience is chief to Clement.

“We are so focused on quality and fit, that is it is so important that people can come and see that, feel it and try on our garments,” she announces. “It’s a really great way to gain people’s trust in the brand – jeans are so particular to each individual that online buying is always a little leap of faith.”

Ultimately the proudest moments arrive when sales are made and compliments received: “For someone to give you their hard earned money for something you have made, and then really love, it is so satisfying!”

Words: Zoe Whitfield

bethnals.com

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