Gender-neutral styles have cycled in-and-out of high-end fashion for decades, but in recent years androgyny has gone mainstream.

In London, popular clothing chain Selfridges recently launched "Agender," a gender-neutral collection that spans three floors of its flagship Oxford Street store. Here in Toronto, there are a handful of brick-and-mortar and online shops that carry unisex clothing and accessories, including Parloque, Future is the Future and Muttonhead.

What these trendy retailers have in common are loyal consumers who embrace a gender-free way of dressing. And according to one Toronto fashion insider, that customer base will likely get bigger.

"Gender-neutral fashions will be something that is more enduring," said Marilyn McNeil-Morin, chair of fashion studies at Toronto's George Brown College. She believes the gender-bending style, with non-body conscious cuts designed to complement anybody's figure, will be more than just a fleeting fascination. She predicts it will become a lasting style.

"I think we’re going to see a lot of it, and it’s going to last because it's very wearable and practical," said McNeil-Morin, adding that the terms gender-neutral, unisex and androgyny are interchangeable.

This potential longevity of the style may lie in its current approach. While designers have long-flirted with gender boundaries, this latest iteration of unisex fashion attempts to flout gender norms almost completely, according to McNeil-Morin.

She says many young designers today are constructing pieces that are "truly androgynous" and points to Yves Saint Laurent's famous 1966 "Le Smoking" tuxedo suit as a counterpoint example to contemporary, au-courant gender-neutral styles.

"When it was done before, it was done specifically for women," she explained, referring to the androgynous look where traditional male clothing was cut to fit a woman's curves. "But what we we're seeing now is the same piece can be worn by men or women."

That crossover, however, may pose a challenge to some designers, who may have relied on traditional gender-based sizing in the past to construct their pieces. But McNeil-Morin says this hurdle provides an opportunity for creativity.

"I've seen some designers approach it using more flowing kinds of pieces where the fit is less of an issue, so it can be worn by a man or a woman," she said.

Sowing the seams of change

"We think the wearer should decide the gender of the piece, rather than the piece itself," says designer Miah Mills. "It's the person who makes the person, not the clothing or what they wear."

Mills, co-founder of Blanc de Noir, and his design partner Gonzalo de Cardenas recently crowdfunded more than $21,000 to launch their gender-neutral footwear line.

The fashion duo, who met in 2010, created three designs named after Toronto streets: the Roncesvalles shoe, the Dundas Chelsea boot, and the Lansdowne boot. All three have a pared-down, classic aesthetic, which Mills and de Cardenas say speaks to Toronto's affinity for simplicity.

"Toronto, as progressive as it is, people tend to play it safe with fashion," said Mills ahead of a trip to Peru, where the shoes will be manufactured. "They have a love affair with black."

Blanc de Noir

A model wears the Dundas boot from Blanc de Noir's gender-neutral footwear collection (Stenson Photography/Blanc de Noir)

The designs' monotone colours and lack of frills, however, are more than just a reflection of the city’s subdued sense of style. They also make the footwear appealing to almost anyone, regardless of gender.

De Cardenas adds this intentional blurring between masculine and feminine by designers is also partly being fueled by a movement where function trumps flair.

"A winter jacket is a winter jacket; it’s meant to protect you from the cold. The fact that it is masculine or feminine is all the details that are added on," he said.

Blanc de Noir's gender-neutral footwear line is expected to roll out this fall.

The Toronto-based designers say between 300 and 500 of their designs will be made in Peru, de Cardenas native home. The pair also plan on working on their second collaboration in the South American country while there.