Twenty-year-old actress and singer Zendaya Coleman made headlines when she added the title of designer to her already impressive list of skills. Now, her Daya by Zendaya clothing line is once again giving people a reason to pay attention, with gender neutral styles.
The Spiderman:Homecoming actress hasn’t been one to shy away from her fashion prowess in the past. Her head turning looks have been giving us life since she hopped on the scene at just 13 years old. With iconic hairstyles and the development of her app, where she frequently shares beauty and makeup tips, Zendaya has made a name for herself in the fashion world that no one can take away.
She’s also been an unapologetic advocate for ALL people, so when the former Shake it Up star began designing for her clothing line, a gender neutral clothing line was always her vision. “I just felt that if I’m going to do a clothing line, that’s the only way I see it being done”, she shared with InStyle.
In a separate interview with Glamour, she recounted how her own experiences with dressing as a child affected her decision. While women often can wear mens clothes with no issue, it isn’t the same the other way around. “I was lucky to have parents who let me wear what I wanted to wear and let me shop where I wanted to shop,” she said. “Nine times out of 10 I was shopping in the boys section. I wore cargo shorts and hoodies. That was my uniform. That’s not fair.”
Along with gender neutral clothing, Daya by Zendaya also makes a point to feature all body types. She told Refinery29 that she didn’t want anyone to feel that “they weren’t a part of this.” She went on to say “I want my mom to be able to wear my stuff. I want my older sister to be able to wear my stuff. I want thick women, tall women, skinny women to wear my stuff. … That’s why I made sure that in my e-commerce photos there was thick girls in there, not like, ‘Oh, you have to go to a section to find thick-girl models in the clothes,’ it should feel normal.”
Zendaya may only be 20 years old, but she has wisdom way beyond her years. Her new Daya by Zendaya line is available online now.
