IIDA Perspective - Spring 2018 - 22

perspective

iida.org/perspective

Photo by: Selfridges

The U.K.
department
store Selfridges
launched a
genderless
shopping
experience
called Agender
across fashion,
accessories, and
beauty lines.

Forecast, the firm found that "an appropriate solution for a
nontraditional gender pronouns such as "they" or "them"-
small workplace or restaurant likely will not work effectively
making this generation the only demographic where that
for an airport or public park. Multi-user, single stall, genderis the case-according to a 2016 survey by the consumer
segregated options should all be considered. If providing
insight agency J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group.
amenities, such as sanitary napkins and disposal bins, they
Generation Z represents annual purchasing power of $44
should be provided equally in all environments."
billion and will account for 40 percent of all consumers
The restrooms discussion is indicative of
by 2020, according to market research firm Mintel.
a larger change around gender norms and
Rethink Pink
how end users experience space. Kerra
The breaking down of gender constructs also
Macdonald, brand designer, Gensler, San
is recasting what were once traditionally male
Jose, California, USA, says it's "a precursor
or female design elements. This is perhaps
to a more holistic discussion about gender,
nowhere more evident than in the color pink.
gender binary, and its relationship with the
From the 1950s onward, any shade of pink in the
built environment."
ROYCE EPSTEIN,
built environment would scream female space.
Forward-thinking brands, especially in
IND.
IIDA, LEED AP But today, pinks, roses, rusts, terracottas, and
the retail space, are leading the change.
soft, muted colors have become essential in the design
Iconic U.K. department store Selfridges is a frontworld, Tick says.
runner in this movement. The retailer launched a concept
Epstein agrees, saying, "Pink has always been assigned
space called Agender with the goal of creating a genderless
to a particular gender, at least in the United States, and
shopping experience across fashion, accessories, and
now the color millennial pink-which is this dusty, pastel
beauty. Created by designer Faye Toogood, the space
pink-for the last four to five years is an ongoing trend
employs concrete, horsehair, and rubber to evoke a raw,
color that will not go away."
primal feel. Abstract sculptures in a pale shade of pink
The hue was a standout at Stockholm Design Week
replace the usual mannequins. Merchandise is stripped of
2017 where Swedish office Note Design Studio covered
its original branding and displayed in uniform brown boxes
its pop-up restaurant, The Design Bar, in the color.
and plain garment bags.
In the restaurant The Gallery at Sketch London,
"Why should toy stores have a pink and blue palette
designer India Mahdavi proved to be an early adopter of
and designers dictate their gender preference in toys?
this trend when she layered the interior with millennial
Why should corner offices have heavy, very male-oriented
pink tulip seats, a rose gold-plated bar, pink velvet
furniture?" says Suzanne Tick, Affiliate IIDA, 2013 IIDA
banquettes, and pale pink walls filled with black-andTitan Award winner, creative director for LUUM Textiles,
white sketches. The effect might have signaled a womenand design consultant for Tandus Centiva, New York
only space 10 years ago-today it's a popular, upscale
City, New York, USA. "We're seeing this sudden shifting,
restaurant for all genders.
this slowing down and becoming really empathetic and
Pink's transformation into a gender-fluid color has
thoughtful. Every decision is intentional when it comes to
been building for a while. By the mid-2010s, interior
design now."
design and fashion lines were incorporating all sorts
And there is a potential bottom-line payoff that clients
of shades of salmon, blush, and pale pink. By 2014,
should connect with: More than half of Generation Z in
Scandinavian designers such as Normann Copenhagen,
the United States reported knowing someone who goes by
Space Copenhagen, Scholten & Baijings, Muuto, and
Bjarni Sigurdsson had fully embraced pink, earning the
hue the nickname "Scandi pink" on Pinterest, according
to The Cut. That same year, the Asia Pacific members of
the Color Marketing Group, a worldwide nonprofit colorforecasting collective, were the first in the group to point
out that pink is everywhere. They named Shim-a deep
pink-beige whose name combines "she" and "him"-as the
emerging color for 2016.
"I think the meaning of pink has actually shifted away
from this gendered infantile color into something that's
really about nostalgia," Epstein says. "Our world is so
stressful that people are embracing this feeling of being

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