Knickers in a twist over Bonds’ new range of ‘genderless’ clothing

Bonds’ new range of ‘genderless’ apparel has been slammed as a marketing ploy, with many saying the company is simply capitalising on the current “woke” movement.

The 106-year-old Australian brand announced on Saturday that it had released a new “genderless” clothing line, with the tagline, “We can’t be truly comfy until everyone is.”

According to 7 News the collection includes jumpers, T-shirts, hoodies and tracksuit pants in neutral colours and a “genderless” size range to fit either male or female bodies. “As a brand for all Australians, we think it’s important to make everyone feel comfortable — and that starts with the first thing you put on in the morning,” the company said. “We offer an assortment of genderless apparel options across our range, so our customers can wear it their way.

“We recognise that the future is ‘genderful’ and want to allow our customers to express their gender and identity in whichever way is most comfortable. No matter who you are, where you’re from or what you stand for, we believe everyone deserves to be comfy.”

 

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While the range is designed with inclusion in mind, many have taken to social media to share their confusion over the announcement. Some seemed to be outraged by the decision, with one user commenting, “What the “F” is Genderless clothing???? This new world is totally F’d!!! Bring back the ’70s & ’80s please.”

Another wrote, “So who decided that browns and greys were … genderless? Isn’t that being a bit biased? Our bodies are built differently. So it’s probably men’s large clothes without the size tag, not really ‘genderless’ at all.”

Others seemed to think the company was simply engaging a clever marketing ploy. “This as a marketing strategy, think about it. If they called it ‘unisex’ would they be getting free advertising…  I would suggest not. This isn’t a ‘gone woke’ moment, this is just capitalising on the current climate,” one said.

“[It’s] just a marketing stunt to get those who are into the gender stuff to buy them.. FFS anyone can go buy a grey or brown top but call them ‘genderless’ and put a good price tag on them and the gullible will buy them.”

Another said, “They just made bland coloured clothing then put a label on it and released it during Pride month. [It’s] an easy way of making money. ‘Genderless clothing’ oh my goodness, how much dumber is this world going to get?”