Korean Genderless Fashion

Introduction
This study examines the Korean Genderless Fashion movement, focusing on Genderless Fashion consumers in Korea between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. Genderless Fashion consumers were found to use clothing as a primary means of self-expression. Moreover, desire was found to be the guiding principle behind the Genderless Fashion movement. The author recognizes three main themes of desire and self-fulfillment in fashion: the pursuit of self-fulfillment, the pursuit of fulfillment from others, and the pursuit of endless fulfillment of their own image. The author also discusses the differences between conscious and unconscious uses of fashion as self-expression.
Literature Review
The author begins the review of literature with the hallyu (Korean Wave), discussing in general the way Korean consumer culture has penetrated the farthest reaches of the globe. Then, the author discusses fashion as a lifestyle concept, but also as one’s expression of lifestyle, values, culture, and gender. Fashion can either be conscious or unconscious expressions of identity.
The review of literature also covers research that addresses self-concept, self-image, and self-presentation. Identity and self-concept are socially constructed. Research also shows how fashion is an extension of the self, a means by which the individual reinforces identity, reflects back normative values to the culture, and potentially changes or alters one’s own self-concept. The review of literature also covers the concept of sexuality in fashion, showing how sexuality and fashion reinforce each other. Based on the prior literature, the author hypothesizes the Genderless Fashion, while seemingly related to sexual identity, is actually more linked to self-expression and self-concept. The theoretical viewpoint used is Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory of desire.
Research Method
The research method used is in-depth, semi-structured interviews and is therefore a qualitative study. The focal questions relate to how Genderless Fashion is defined, which specific trends can operationalize Genderless Fashion, and also how individual consumers use Genderless Fashion as a way of expressing themselves. A convenience sample was used, culled by individuals who are active consumers of Genderless Fashion in the Seoul area. Interviews lasted between 50 and 80 minutes, and informed consent was acquired. Interview questions focused on both the meaning of genderless, but also how the participants actively used fashion as a means of self-expression or to reinforce self-concept.
Results and Discussion
Participants admitted to identifying with the subject of desire, or the idealized self. This was linked to identification with an object/subject that was strongly desired by others, as a form of wish fulfillment. Some participants also expressed a keen interest in brand and identification with the philosophy of the brand as a form of self-expression. Wearing a brand is a means by which a person reinforces self-concept and expresses the ideal self to others. Fashion was also used to present the self to others, as a form of expressive style or a distinct personalized look. Finally, the participants used fashion to transform flaws into advantages—a way to alter the self-image to appear more desirable. Fashion is a means to express endless desire, the perpetuation of not just consumerism but also of identity construction.
Conclusion
The author concludes that fashion is an expression of desire on many levels. On one level, the consumer wears certain clothing to express desire for the self to appear or actually be something in particular, which is then projected into the social world. On another level, fashion is a means by which the individual merges with the ideal self. The ideal self is reflected back, reinforcing one’s identity.