John Lewis goes gender-free for kids' product

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 4, 2017

John Lewis has become the first department store in the UK to scrap gender labels on children’s clothing in a move that has met with mixed reactions.

The British company said it did not want to “reinforce gender stereotypes” with its offering, so all own-brand garments for children now come with a “Girls & Boys” or “Boys & Girls” tag signalling that pieces can be worn by both sexes.

Additionally, the company will remove all in-store signage dividing the floor space into girls and boys and will launch a new, non-gender-specific collection.

Caroline Bettis, the head of childrenswear at John Lewis said: “We do not want to reinforce gender stereotypes within our John Lewis collections and instead want to provide greater choice and variety to our customers, so that the parent or child can choose what they would like to wear." 

Activist organisation Les Clothes Be Clothes celebrated John Lewis’ decision to “take a stand against gender stereotyping,” saying: “It’s fantastic news and we hope other shops and online retailers will now move in the same direction. A T-shirt should be just a T-shirt – not a T-shirt just for girls or just for boys.”

While several consumers took to Twitter to praise the move, many expressed feelings of confusion and anger. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told the Mail the removal of gendered swing tags could confuse customers.

“I have no idea what would possess John Lewis to do this. Boys and girls labels and signs are informative. I think removing them could be very confusing for the consumer. It appears political correctness continues to march and, whether it is going in the right direction, is a point for debate. I cannot see many customers buying a dress for their six-year-old boy.”

John Lewis is not the first retailer to introduce gender-neutral clothing. H&M launched a denim line for men and women earlier this year, while designer J.W. Anderson has been blurring the gender boundaries for years.