Have you ever been annoyed, shocked, or even entertained by the ridiculously unnecessary gendering of just about anything in our society? It’s everywhere, especially in retail, where everything from pens to toothpaste is targeted at women and men separately. It’s an obvious marketing ploy; companies can sell the same product twice, and often charge women more for the privilege thanks to “the pink tax”.  

As a woman and a tomboy I’m frequently frustrated that the most practical and best quality items are usually to be found in the “men’s” section (and commonly cheaper than their flimsy, ill-fitting counterparts over in “women’s”). And I know many people of non-binary and genderqueer identities don’t feel catered for at all. This is what inspired me to launch Zealo Apparel. I wanted to create a shopping experience as gender-neutral as possible so that people can choose products based on what they like and not whether it comes under “women’s” or “men’s”.        

This is for anyone who has ever felt their choices have been limited by their gender identity, anyone who’s ever felt like they have to decide whether they can shop in a certain section of the store, for anyone who’s ever felt confused, misgendered, dysphoric, or had an identity crisis while shopping because of the burden of unnecessary labels. This is for anyone who says “no” to the status quo.