exploring materials, Mihaleva’s wearable technology pieces are embedded with sensors that interact with the wearer or the environment, reflecting on global or personal issues and emotions. Mihaleva’s work has been shown at Paris Fashion Week, Festival de Cannes and Look Forward Fashiontech Festival in France, as well as in Belgium, Brazil, Singapore, Japan and at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The avant-garde designer was a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore for eight years — she taught fashion art and technology and established the sustainable textiles lab. In 2017, she joined Arizona State University’s faculty, where she is now sharing her knowledge of clothing construction, wearable technologies and sustainability in the new fashion program. A true advocate of sustainable fashion, Mihaleva supports the idea that fashion should not harm people or the planet. Innovation is key in Mihaleva’s spirit, and she’s currently researching a new concept — genderless fashion. “Gender-fluid or gender-inclusive clothing can be any clothing, in theory,” said Nick Paget, a senior analyst at WGSM, a global trend-forecasting company. “The notion that clothing as an expression of our personality belongs to one gender or another is the social construct that needs disassembling.” Simply put, unisex clothing is more functional “because anyone can wear it, and everyone looks great in it. Since outfits are less likely to have patterns, they are easier to pair with different attires. Consequently, sharing or donating clothing also becomes easier since it’s not gender-specific. And when it comes to kids’ clothes, unisex clothing doesn’t put them into categories. Instead, children can explore Innovation is key in Mihaleva’s spirit, and she’s currently researching a new concept — genderless fashion. KEY TO THE GOOD LIFE { style unlocked } FEBRUARY 2022 | 36 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA

various clothing options without having too many choices,” Mihaleva said. Since genderless fashion is more functional, it only makes sense that it’s also cheaper in the long run. “Adults can share their clothing with friends or partners, and parents can keep children’s clothing for further hand-me-downs. When you buy clothing both for yourself and your children, sustainability is key because throwing clothing away is wasteful,” Mihaleva said. Genderless clothing puts sustainability, functionality and cost- efficiency at the heart of the fashion industry. As futuristic as the concept might seem today, unisex clothing might become the new normal, embraced with pride and optimism . Make up: Audrey Ng; Styling: Rachel Ng Models: Lucas Jong and Ding Wei are represented by Mismanagement & Mannequin Studio. Ashley Soo and Janice Low are represented by Basic Models. MARCH 5, 2022 Contact Ethan Hoover for more information. Ethan@AZBROADWAY.org | 623.776.8400 All proceeds benefit the artistic, educational, and charitable programs of the Arizona Broadway Theatre and is hosted by ABT Performing Arts Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charity.