The fashion industry and runways since the last four seasons have been continuously talking about womenswear taking fashion cues from menswear and moving on the path of androgyny. But with menswear A/W ’16-17 hinting upon androgyny and gender bending, it looks like menswear is now ‘borrowing’ elements from womenswear more aggressively. Capes, laces, sheer sleeves, sportswear-inspired leggings and wide trousers, all the womenswear trends the industry has been gushing about since the last two seasons were all on display in the recent menswear collections. Even though designers are getting bold and taking a major step in the world of mainstream androgyny fashion, some Indian exporters are still apprehensive of bringing these details from the runways to the retail segment, while others are looking forward towards experimenting…
Talking about lace collars, sheer shirts and an occasional dress or skirt – men’s fashion designers are taking a more androgynous approach to their offerings this year than ever before. Feminine elements are making their way into the latest collections, following several years in which even fairly mainstream celebrities have embraced styles that eschew traditional gender norms. The movement has been building for a while. It was heavily featured during the fall fashion shows, where there was a definite gender-blurring feel among the menswear collections. Dilip K Kapadia, MD, DKK Exports, exporter of menswear feels that these details are just a fad. “Use of feminine details for menswear, is a fad and not a trend. It is mostly for street styles and I don’t see the chance of it being translated into a major influence in export orders anywhere soon,” he said.
Custo Barcelona presented male models dressed in Bohemian-styled ponchos and heavily layered outerwear similar to their female counterparts, whereas, Hood by Air sent out male models in slit dresses. Gucci sent his male models down the runway in sheer lace tops, blouses with bows and flared jacquard pants; on the other hand, Rick Owens included a slew of dresses and oversized layered frocks for his men’s collection. Yashwin Saluja, Owner, Paramount Clothing, was rather amused by the frenzy that the trend is creating. “Sheer shirts for men were a popular choice in the ’90s and the same trend is at an upsurge again, why the ‘wow’ factor, what is so new and path-breaking!” he questioned.
Since 2012, the high-fashion menswear brand, Gypsy Sport has been challenging and reinvigorating industry’s preconceptions of what menswear should be. Their A/W collection is predominantly inspired by the 1990s/early 2000s dresses found within hip-hop culture – an indisputable reference. The uses of layering, patchwork and soft pastels are all reminiscent of the diluted ‘hardness’ present within this era. Placements of seams remain traditional of menswear, whilst the silhouette, fit and use of colour push the garments into untouched territory. Flipping through the styles designers brought on board, it seemed like looking at the Fall RTW collection. But surprisingly, all the elements being talked about are from the menswear segment.
Patchwork trousers that fit tightly at the waist and upper leg, descending into a flair of just the right diameter, oversized turtleneck with a dark brown sun hat, etc. are clear examples of the ways in which two markets (luxury and street) can be merged in a successful and believable manner, creating innovative garments that can be worn by ‘real people’, leading to maximum order placements for the exporters. “Turtlenecks, sheers, laces and loose trousers are trends, which appeared on the women’swear front first and now are entering into the menswear segment as well. This trend seems to be at a nascent stage right now, but is expected to pick up in the upcoming seasons, owing to the overlapping styles between menswear and womenswear. I think we are entering the era of genderless fashion,” says Ashish Kabra, Design Head, Shrijee Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd., exporters of both menswear and womenswear, which enables them to witness similarities between both the segments.
Of late retailers have joined the bandwagon of genderless fashion as young parents are also pushing for gender-less clothing, embracing science-themed T-shirts, instead of the princess gown. Retailers like Gap, the North Face and American Apparel have sold unisex clothing for years, though sizing is still typically set as per gender lines.
Gucci’s long yellow overcoat, embroidered in fern green, is cut short on the arms, revealing fine wrists and ring embellished hands. It falls, and then opens slightly, exhibiting pale flesh. These implied details were rather gentle and unmistakably feminine. Pastel embroidery creeps up from the bottom to above the breast. The delicate fur linings of the neck and cuffs indicate a desirable sense of luxury. Frida Gianinni and Tom Ford’s pulsing vision of the human male has made way for a much more nuanced character that hovers somewhere between the bell’uomo and the bella donna. Akash Jain, Designer, Opera Clothing Pvt. Ltd. discussing about the trend said, “Menswear this season has indeed experienced a twist in terms of detail additions. Pastel shades, shirts with embroidery, wide-legged trousers, sportswear-inspired pyjama pants, are some of the styles which originally were popular in womenswear segment but now have jumped into the category of menswear.”
As gender fluidity is much more than a trend, exporters are hinting upon choosing some details and incorporating them in their styles, so that it looks trendy and is also in line with buyer norms. The trend has caught the imagination of designers from across the globe. Nigerian menswear designers fall into two neat categories; the classicist suit makers and the innovators. Menswear designer Kola Kuddus is both, and neither. The designer put out a collection this season that had some elements of his past aesthetic; menswear reworked for the 21st century Nigerian man. That is his niche and it has come to define him as a brand. But he also left his comfort zone, playing with androgyny. Done in orange, powder blue, grey and brown, Kuddus sent skrousers, skirts, kilts and oversized kaftans down the runway, layering them in interesting ways to distort silhouettes.
