
Fashion is best defined as "the style or styles of clothing and accessories worn at any given time by groups of people" (Major) by Encyclopedia Britannica. It is a means of expression.  The fashion industry is the "business of making and selling clothes" (Major). Individuals express themselves through fashion and the fashion industry expresses the trends of society. One specific trend is undefined gender roles. "The term 'gender role' refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and behave" (Boundless). In today's society there is a blending between traditional masculine and feminine gender roles. So, what role does the fashion industry have in defining gender roles? The fashion industry's role in marketing, design, and promotion defines the gender blur and highlights society's movement towards equality. 

The role of marketing is to identify a target market and strategize ways to satisfy the customer, at a profit. Marketing begins with the potential customers needs. A consumer's needs are shaped by the society in which they live. Marketing is important to the fashion industry because it defines the consumer and identifies their needs. The movement towards equality is a main factor in today's society. Both men and women are held to similar standards and can assume similar roles. The push for equality has resulted in a gender blur. Today's consumer has a blurred perception of "gender-specific behaviors" (Boundless). There is a trend of "narrowing the sexual divide" (Ferla) between the characteristics associated with a man and the characteristics associated with a woman. Therefore, a consumer needs clothing that is not defined by one gender over another. Marketing is also important to the fashion industry because it sets up a strategy to satisfy the consumer needs. The industry uses the marketing mix to best satisfy the consumer demand for "gender-fluid fashion" (Ferla). A key component to the marketing mix is the product. The role of a fashion designer is to create the product that will satisfy the consumers needs, at a profit. 

The designers create the clothes and accessories that appeal to the specific target market. Fashion designers work with a variety of materials, patterns, and colors to create products that satisfy the consumer's needs. The social attitudes of potential consumers drive the process of design. Vogue's Spring 2016 Trend Report stated that "now is the time to embrace an expansive attitude". This season fashions new mood is emotion (Vogue). Designers interpret the attitude of their consumers in order to match supply with demand. It is when a designer understands the consumer's social attitude that they can capitalize on the idea of creating "familiar and new" (Vogue) fashion trends. The concept of unisex clothing came about as a result of the consumer's "gender-neutrality" (Ferla) attitude. Some popular pieces that encompass the gender blur are the boyfriend fit jeans and untailored blazers. Active wear has also become increasingly popular the past year and into 2016. The trends are not defining masculine roles versus feminine roles. Instead, they encompass the gender blur. Designers are catering to the millennials that are challenging the "perception of sexual orientation" (Ferla). 

The fashion industry promotes its products to the millennials by using technology to their advantage. This generation of young adults are tech savvy, and that makes them the target market for the fashion industry. Technology, such as social media and the Internet, has a great impact on today's youth. It defines young Americans. In order to successfully promote fashion, the industry must "see the world through the 'digital' eyes" (Natalie) of the millennials. There are millions of blogs online to discuss the upcoming fashion trends for the spring season of 2016. Fashion bloggers also promote all aspects of fashion via Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. By promoting gender-neutral products with technology, the fashion industry is defining the target market. For example, the trend of overalls was popular on the runways and on the Internet. The fashion industry promoted the gender free fashion statement using technology to reach as many customers in the target market as possible. Communication about the "functional and utilitarian" (Rizzo) benefits of overalls resulted in increased sales across distributors. Many people now own their own pair of overalls and illustrated the gender blur in fashion. The fashion industry's role in promotion defines the target market since customers tend to buy which trends are popular on the Internet. 

The fashion industry's roles in marketing, design, and promotion demonstrate how clothing is used to "create communities that are critical of mainstream value" (Rizzo). Fashion is used to express the societal standards that exist at a time and place. Pantone Color Institute selects a "color of the year" that serves as a snapshot of what is taking place in American culture the attitude expressed by the people. For 2016, Pantone selected the blending of two colors for the first time: Rose Quartz and Serenity.  The symbolic color selection represents the gender blur in fashion and the "societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity" ("Introducing"). The fashion industry's marketing role is to identify and understand the target market. It must also strategize ways to satisfy the needs of the consumers with a product. The designing role of the fashion industry is to interpret the attitudes of the consumer and create a product that will match supply with demand. Promotion is how the industry uses technology to sell a desired product to a target consumer. The fashion industry illustrates the societal movement towards equality and the marketing, design, and promotion roles define the gender blur. 

