Welcome to Selfridges: twenty first century department store/community centre


He, She, Me Photo by @DominatWipez

I am delighted that He She Me the fashion/music video commissioned by Selfridges to celebrate its new venture Agender has now been released.
The short film has an exclusive sound track by Devonté Hynes and Neneh Cherry, a cast led by actor and model Hari Nef, and a performance choreographed by artist Ryan Heffington, and it is directed by Selfridges' Resident Film Director Kathryn Ferguson and Alex Turvey. As the dedicated website tells us the film is a "visual response to the idea of Agender".
I was among the model/ dancers performing around Hari Nef and it was, for me, a great experience. I believe I was the oldest among the performers, so this makes me doubly proud. I am intrigued by  the concept of a department store where clothing is sold without giving it a gender label and I definitely admire the forward thinking attitude of Selfridges.  We keep on witnessing many interesting initiatives by this store, like the one in May 2014 which was a celebration of diverse beauty and also of age, with the participation of Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style. Then in January this year there was the Bright Old Things, which again celebrated the achievements of older men and women , with specially designed windows by the participants, among whom was Sue Kreitzman  of The Fabulous Fashionistas fame. 



Selfridges as a store has always had an ambitious brief. The very successful ITV drama Mr Selfridge now in its third run, with a fourth one planned for 2016,  tells us the story of Harry Gordon Selfridge the man behind Selfridges - the series is based on the book by Lindy Woodhead Shopping, seduction and Mr Selfridge, 2009.  Selfridges, as a department store,  from inception has always demonstrated an inclination for the avant garde and cosmopolitanism, it is part of its history - with lavish windows that were inspired by the Ballet Russes back in 1913 and various displays over the years that reflected its mission statement of providing shoppers with "a pleasure, a past time and a recreation". 
In Mr Selfridge Harry Selfridge says to his daughter: "Quite right Violet, Selfridges is much more than a store, it is a community centre". It seems that the store has fully embraced this identity, that of a public space.  Thus shopping experiences are enriched by talks and screenings and debates about the issues underpinning a specific commercial choice. 
The Agender project is an attempt at queering the shopping experience, with  the shopping element  at its core. On the site dedicated to the Agender experience a carefully placed comment, at the end of the write up, informs us that "the cast of dancers and performance artists are all styled in Agender brands available at Selfridges, including Nicopanda, V Files, Yang Li x Genesis P-Orridge, Bodymap and Rad Hourani". 
Agender raises the question of whether fashion can truly make a change in the way people think. As I was being made up for the film I asked the MUA what the film was about - I honestly knew little about it because I was sent to the casting at the very last minute on the Friday and the shoot was on the following Tuesday. She said that Selfridges was opening a pop up department for 'transgenders'. So this is how the 'Agender' is being interpreted. Fashion can effect a change  in perceptions but up to a point. After all the sale of green t-shirts has not stopped the exploitation of natural resources. 
So before we get carried away and declare the life-changing impact of an initiative such as Agender - very valuable and very important nevertheless - let's remember that it can only be a baby step, mired in the fabric of consumerism, and not a revolution.  It will take a lot more time and effort before our views of gender identity truly, truly shift. 

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