Breaking Down the Barriers of Fashion

This article is part of our Fall 2020 print issue. See the full, digital version of the issue here.

Harry Styles. Billie Eilish. Jaden Smith. Zendaya. Besides the fact that all of these celebrities are totally cool, they also share another theme in common: they are regulars when it comes to gender-neutral clothing. Gender-neutral fashion isn’t limited to the typical “guy wearing a dress” or “girl wearing a blazer.” Rather, it refers to clothing designed to be suitable for all genders, blending the line between what is considered women’s or men’s clothing.

Models Renell Taylor, Caroline Harty, Kali Clougherty, Elias Cartier, Elyse King, Nia Griffin, Shae Johnson photographed by Olivia Parks.

Harry Styles, for example, is known for being outspoken about his fashion choices. There has been much conversation surrounding his gender fluidity, a subject which he refuses to define. In an interview with The Guardian, the singer opened up about his androgynous style, saying, “If I see a shirt and get told ‘But it’s for ladies,’ I think: ‘Okay? Doesn’t make me want to wear it less though.’ […] I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.”

Zendaya is another celebrity known for breaking down gender barriers when it comes to her red carpet game. The actress is not afraid to rock a power suit and wear it better than most men. Exhibit A: when she wore the same grey Berluti suit as Michael B. Jordan, and even he admitted she wore it better.

One last artist who defies the odds of fashion is Young Thug. Thug has not been afraid to sport feminine clothing, even wearing a full-length Alessandro Trincone blue ruffle dress on his No, My Name is Jeffery EP cover. However, he often faces criticism from his peers in the rap community, especially with the toxic masculinity of rap culture. His masculinity has been doubted by artists such as The Game, who raps, “These days y’all ****** got Young Thug / Y’all favorite rappers wear skirts / My favorite rappers used to put mother******* in a hearse,” in his song Hate It or Love It.

Despite the criticism, Thug’s eccentric style, along with Zendaya’s and Styles’ iconic fashion choices, proves that fashion is not tied to gender. Taking after these celebrities’ gender-neutral style is the clothing selection at local treasure The Muse in Graham, North Carolina. Just 15 minutes away from Elon’s campus, this trendy thrift store doesn’t have a designated men’s or women’s section.

Dionne Liles, owner of The Muse and often referred to as “D” by regulars, grew up surrounded by style. With a mother and grandmother who were cosmetologists and beauticians and a father who always rocked a slick suit, it was no surprise she ended up striking a career in fashion. We sat down with Liles to talk about the future of gender-neutral fashion and what it’s like running The Muse.

“Fashion has always been a part of my life as an undercurrent. I just didn’t know it was going to play its role the way it was gonna play its role in my life today,” says Liles.

Although she credits trips to the thrift store with her mother as contributing to her love for fashion, she says they didn’t always see eye to eye when it came to fashion. “My parents were very conservative, so that is not what I was wearing,” says Liles. “Liking a little bit of everybody’s style—loving hip hop, loving skater, loving punk life—never realizing that the evolution of who I am today would encompass a little bit of middle school and high school.”

Liles attended private school, where she was required to wear a uniform, before she came to a realization regarding fashion. She said to herself, “Okay, this is how I identify. I can use my clothes as a form of identity. I can use my fashion statement as a form of people relating to who I am.”

Liles says she always knew she wanted to independently own and operate a store, which was the beginning of her dream that is now The Muse.

“I didn’t go to business school. I have a high school diploma. I’m just a person who is passionate about entrepreneurship, personal identity, personal autonomy, creating the life I desire to live,” says Liles. “I found I couldn’t do that in the confines of working for someone else.”

However, it was a dream that would require time. “It took five years to actually bring this dream to life in a conscious way,” says Liles. “There was always some sort of fashion or creative aspect with fashion that I was involved in. Once I honed in and focused on it to take the journey to open my own store, it took about five years.”

Those five years of work paid off when The Muse opened on January 25, 2020, but it wasn’t without a hiccup. The Muse faced an issue many businesses faced this year: having to close for six weeks in the spring. But after reopening, The Muse has become a staple in Graham and amongst Elon students.

As the pioneer of the only Black-owned business in Graham and as a pansexual woman, Liles says she wanted to create a space where all feel welcome in a community that can come across as the opposite. Right in front of The Muse sits a Confederate statue, one that was heavily protested when the Black Lives Matter movement came to the political forefront this summer. Liles is no stranger to partaking in the civil unrest happening right outside of our campus.

“My store is much more than just clothes. It’s much more than cash in and cash out. It’s about equality. It’s about no judgement. It’s about inclusion. It’s about diversity and acceptance. It comes in all forms,” she says. “I don’t look like a lot of people here, but I support the community. So, why would I have less value?”

Along her journey to opening The Muse, Liles has identified what gender-neutral fashion means to her.

“Gender-neutral fashion is a patriarchal term that is what I would say is not real. I would say that it is another of form of putting people within boundaries of a patriarchal society, a white heterosexual society,” she says.

Usually, when it comes to gender-neutral fashion or bending the rules of gender-based fashion, Liles says the issue of men being more resistant to the idea is one she is not afraid to tackle.

“There are aspects of fashion that I love to exercise in all of my styling. That is usually putting what people would identify as female fashion on males but traditionally males that are like ‘I’m a manly man,’” says Liles.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you wear, it’s how comfortable and confident you feel in your style. Take it from Liles, and “support stores like The Muse that are not going to make you feel uncomfortable about what it is you decide to wear that day.”