10 Reasons Unisex Clothing Is Brilliant

We’ve been making unisex clothing for children for a long time because we’re passionate about inspiring them to get outdoors and want just as many girls as boys climbing trees, racing on bikes, rolling down hills or catching autumn leaves.

We’re so delighted to see bigger companies joining the move to making unisex outerwear for boys and girls. John Lewis, for example, removed gender labels from its children’s clothing.

We’ve asked our Muddy MD, Natasha Ascott about the main reasons why Muddy Puddles decided to make unisex clothing for children.

 "There are two main reasons the full Muddy Puddles outerwear collection is unisex. Primarily as a brand committed to inspiring children to leap outdoors and embrace nature then we really want to celebrate the message that girls and boys climb trees, race bikes and love adventures."
"Secondly it is really about sustainability and practicality. In the back-neck label of every item in our collection it says ‘made to pass on to someone smaller than you’. Our outerwear is made to last from one sibling to the next and we don’t want it to problem if a big brother passes on to a little sister or friend of cousin. A regular pleasure is lovely customers sending in photos of fourth, fifth even seventh children wearing a Muddy Puddles item with pride."

Here’s our list of the 10 main reasons gender neutral design matters as a building block in the crusade for equality.

• A more comfortable fit to enable more active children
• Unisex colours, patterns and prints expands choice, celebrates difference and the individual
• Listen to the science: there is more and more research to show there are very few fundamental differences between male and female brains
• Do it for great self esteem: there is increasing evidence that stereotypes damage confidence and increase worry

• Pushing the creative skills of clothes designers to think beyond blue and dinosaurs or pink and butterflies leads to more original and inspiring designs
• The British Retail Consortium guidelines on childrenswear state a commitment to not ‘unduly stereotype children’. It’s a great guideline. Let’s follow it!
• Making boys more emotional: research has shown boys find it hard to express emotion and this can harm throughout later life. If we look at boys the same way as we look at girls we will give them the same emotional attention which allow them to express their worries and fears and become healthier and happier individuals.
• For the next generation of professionals: a gender neutral approach to boys and girls has a valuable role to play in the bed rock of equality which can lead to more ambitious women and more respectful men

• It makes clothes last longer: unisex clothes can pass from sisters to brothers and on and on which creates less waste and means parents can spend less on their children’s wardrobes.
• Expands children’s creative minds: girls and boys who can just be drawn to anything that inspires them without shame or guilt will be more confident and original thinkers.

We very consciously looked for inspiration that allowed for unisex colours and prints when designing our spring-summer range. Designers drew on the beautiful illustrations from the books and illustrations of Shirley Hughes. and developed prints that evoked the outdoors and the seasons but avoided flowers for girls and tractors for boys. Our prints were of raindrops, dandelions and puddles instead.