For a long time, clothing has been divided into categories that tell us who a garment is made for, and sometimes even how we are expected to wear it. But we believe that clothing can exist beyond these distinctions.
A piece of linen, a cotton thread or a carefully woven wool textile has no gender. It is simply material, shaped by hands and brought to life through the person who wears it.
At Nibi, our mother-daughter studio in Barcelona approaches clothing as a form of self-expression, rather than a set of rules to follow. We create gender-neutral garments that leave room for individuality, movement and different ways of being. Pieces that adapt to the person, not the other way around.
We see inclusivity and sustainability as values that naturally belong together. Creating garments beyond traditional gender categories also invites us to rethink how we design, produce and consume clothing. It encourages a more thoughtful relationship with what we own, choosing pieces that can be worn, styled and lived in for years to come.
In this entry, we explore the connection between genderless design and conscious fashion, and how dressing beyond labels can open up new ways of relating to our wardrobes. Through our FW27 collection, and pieces such as the genderless Jogalo Jacket, we continue exploring this idea: clothing as a space for freedom, creativity and personal expression.
The Construct of Gendered Fashion
To understand why inclusive slow fashion is dismantling the binary norm, we must first look at why these rigid categories exist in the first place. The hyper-gendering of clothing is largely a modern construct, accelerated by the industrial revolution and the rise of mass production.
When the fast-fashion industry segments clothing into strict "menswear" and "womenswear" categories, it creates an artificial divide that drives overconsumption. It relies on the marketing illusion that a household must maintain entirely separate wardrobes, strictly adhering to constantly changing, highly gendered micro-trends. This separation dictates fit, color palettes, and even the size of pockets, forcing individuals into predetermined boxes rather than allowing them to dress according to their energetic expression.
This rigid system produces unimaginable waste. When clothing is designed for a label rather than a living, breathing body, it loses its emotional resonance. It becomes disposable.
Why Inclusive Slow Fashion is Inherently Fluid
When you step away from the relentless pace of mass production and return to artisanal craftsmanship, the boundaries between menswear and womenswear naturally dissolve.
True sustainability requires us to rethink the lifespan and the utility of our garments. Inclusive slow fashion focuses on architectural silhouettes, superior drape, and the tactile quality of natural fibers. When a garment is meticulously crafted from high-quality materials, its beauty lies in how it interacts with the wearer's unique posture, movement, and shape.
Nibi FW27: A Study in Versatility and Freedom
Our new FW27 Collection is a love letter to this philosophy of fluidity. As the Mediterranean transitions into cooler months, we focused on pieces that offer warmth, structure, and absolute freedom of movement. We sought to create garments that could be seamlessly shared, layered, and reimagined.
The cornerstone of this collection is a piece that perfectly encapsulates our dedication to genderless sustainable fashion.
Spotlight: The Jogalo Jacket
The Jogalo Jacket was inspired by our grandfather's everyday work uniform, a jacket he wore for over 50 years. There is something special about a familiar garment, how it carries memories and can almost feel like a hug from someone you love. We wanted to bring that same feeling into a piece of our own.
The Silhouette: It features a relaxed, slightly dropped shoulder and an architectural, straight-cut body. This lack of rigid waist-tailoring allows it to drape beautifully over a broad spectrum of body types.
The Details: Crafted from 100% double-lined linen, it features functional exterior and hidden pockets (a utilitarian necessity that should never be gendered), a double zipper and carefully finished French seams.
The Adaptability: The Jogalo Jacket features a removable collar that adds a unique special touch designed by my mother and adjustable cuffs.
Sustainability Through Shared Wardrobes
A genderless wardrobe also opens up the possibility of connection. A garment shared between friends, siblings or partners takes on a different expression with each person who wears it.
We believe this is another way of making fashion more conscious. By creating versatile, gender-neutral garments that can be enjoyed by more than one person, we can extend their life, make better use of what we already own and rethink the need to constantly consume. It's about choosing fewer pieces with more possibilities, and allowing clothing to become something we share rather than something that separates us.
True Self-Expression in the Modern Wardrobe
Clothing is the most intimate form of art we interact with daily. It is the boundary between our inner selves and the outer world. When we are forced to select from two categories, we are often restricted from expressing our full identity or from experimenting.
Inclusive slow fashion offers a deeply healing alternative. It gives us permission to play. Some days call for soft, romantic draping; other days demand sharp, structured tailoring. A gender-neutral wardrobe acknowledges that human expression is not static. We are multifaceted beings, and our clothing should have the capacity to reflect that complexity.
When you choose to move beyond labels, you strip away societal expectations. You are left with the pure joy of dressing for yourself, focusing on the sensation of the fabric, the elegance of the cut, and the authentic truth of how you feel in that exact moment.
The future of conscious style does not exist in a meticulously labeled box. It exists in the fluid, the shared, and the beautifully undefined. We invite you to explore the FW27 Collection and the Jogalo Jacket, and discover the profound freedom of dressing without boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Genderless sustainable fashion refers to clothing that is ethically produced, made from high-quality, eco-friendly materials, and designed without conforming to traditional men or women categories. It focuses on fluid silhouettes, adaptable fits, and longevity, allowing garments to be worn and styled freely by any body type.
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Gender-neutral clothing deeply supports a circular economy. Because the designs are versatile and unbound by binary trends, they can be easily shared among partners or friends, reducing the overall need for consumption. This leads to fewer garments being produced, purchased, and eventually discarded into landfills.
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The Jogalo jacket is designed for absolute versatility. For a relaxed, daytime look, pair it with the matching linen trousers, The Unison Pants. For an evening transition, drape it over a fluid, asymmetrical dress to create a striking contrast between soft movement and architectural structure.
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No. While some gender-neutral pieces utilize a relaxed or oversized fit for comfort and fluidity, true inclusive slow fashion relies on meticulous, architectural tailoring. It involves intelligent design—like dropped shoulders, adjustable closures, and bias cuts—that allow the fabric to adapt elegantly to various body shapes without relying on rigid darts or traditional gendered sizing.