“[In the past] things haven’t been made for us, for our bodies, and for who we are,” Klingenberg explains in reference to the wide-ranging athletic builds and unique personal tastes of herself and re—inc’s three other founders. Klingenberg prefers sweats over jeans not only for practical reasons being in a profession that demands ample time spent on the field or in a gym but because she feels most herself when prioritizing comfort while getting dressed. Having options that are available for her needs, irrespective of what’s considered to be specifically “for women,” reflects the guiding principle at the core of the brand: “We want people to feel totally comfortable in their own skin,” Klingenberg says.
In the conversation about gender neutrality as it relates to personal expression, language is incredibly powerful. It’s easy to apply the words “for everyone” to garments that, by nature, don’t fit into traditional notions of masculinity or femininity. But making design truly available to all calls for a categorical un-gendering of fashion that dismantles societal expectations for how people should present themselves. Sweatpants that are simply just sweatpants is a start, but until collections no longer need to be deemed genderless in order to be for everyone, these words demonstrate the limits, not the potential, of the non-binary fashion movement.
