Public School Is Latest Brand to Tear Down Gender Divide

Raf Simons called the current fashion system "bullsh*t" earlier today and right on cue the decaying structure takes another big hit. Now, Public School is taking its fashion show off the traditional schedule as well as merging men's and women's collections into one presentation.

Designers Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow will start showing collections in June and December, meaning the changes will go into effect just a couple months from now. To that end, Public School will also name its shows Collection 1 and Collection 2 instead of labeling it by season.

This isn't just a logistical change, it's also a statement that fashion brands no longer need to play by the traditional rules. Public School joins Vetements, which also announced that it will start showing collections in June and December, in rearranging how it does things. The change better accommodates retailers' and buyers' schedules and Chow claims it will really help untie the designers' ability to create.

"Showing twice a year with both men's and women's in one show will allow us to really develop our ideas cohesively throughout the year and subsequently slow the entire process down," Chow said, according to Fashionista. "We can actually enjoy our collections as opposed to being tied to the calendar."

With the change, Public School also joins the rising tide of designers that are over separating men's and women's clothing. Big name labels like Gucci, Burberry have already done away with that divide and much of the industry seems to be moving in the direction of completely genderless clothing. Jaden Smith modeled for Louis Vuitton's women's campaign. Young Thug covered Dazed in J.W. Anderson's gender-blurring clothes. Even massive retailer Zara has taken note of the trend and released a gender-neutral collection.

Public School's basis for showing men's and women's together falls along the same line of reasoning that inspired Kith and Stampd to create dedicated women's lines. It eliminates the need for the brand's female customers to buy and then change clothes designed for men. "When we launched women's it was always the extension of the men's collections," Osborne says. "It was a collection that our female friends could enjoy without altering the men's pieces to wear. We feel the similar design approach made more of an impact when we showed men's and women's at the same time."

Future New York Fashion Weeks won't be completely Public School-free, though. The brand plans on creating "consumer-facing" events that will happen during fashion weeks in September and February.