There’s nothing more tempting than the millennial urban male now. As dress codes loosen globally and the tsunami of streetwear in fashion continues to roar, men are starting to pay more attention to what they wear again. With the men’s luxury market predicted to over pace women’s in the next 5 years, the luxury conglomerates are gearing up to step up their menswear game —from Hedi’s new Celine to Virgil’s reign over Louis Vuitton.
As the definition of menswear continues to change on a daily basis, men are no longer satisfied with a fine bespoke tailored suit as the highest form of self-presentation. Tailor wear culture in the traditional format hasn’t been successful in winning over the millennial male consumers’ hearts, leaving an increasingly widened gap to be filled by men’s clothing that would embody the highest form of design and craftsmanship.
Traditional men’s Made-to-Measure and women’s couture have never crossed paths. While the former has always been concentrated in Savile Row, Florence or Milan, the latter has never left the center of Paris. However, this is starting to change.
Mr. Kim Jones closed his Autumn/Winter 2019 Dior Men show, which took place on a conveyor belt, with an impeccably eye-catching shirt jacket with a painting of Mona Lisa as reimagined by artist Raymond Pettibon. Upon a closer look, the shirt was embroidered by 15 petit-mains at the Dior couture atelier, taking over 1,600 hours of expert labour. Mr. Kim Jones has the perfect skill set to transform femininity into masculinity and to merge the high with the low. In his new Dior Men empire, he pays tribute to the couture house and utilizes materials like silk, satin and double-faced cashmere, combining them with fine tailoring to create looks that speak the language of new-age, masculine elegance.
Givenchy Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2018
Photo: Monica Feudi/Indigital.tv
Clare Waight Keller also introduced men’s Made-to-Measure at her first Givenchy Couture show back in the Spring/Summer 2018 season. Under her creative direction, the new Givenchy male embodied a sensual after-dark appeal. Fine couture-level lace detailing was met with incredibly precise tailoring that drew from womenswear elements, achieving a sartorial elegance deeply rooted in the French couture house. For Givenchy, the demand for more elevated products in menswear has risen in recent years, so Waight Keller’s approach was certainly visionary.
Following a whirlwind of streetwear mania, many believe that men will start to dress up again. Designers like Hedi Slimane and Virgil Abloh are starting the conversation, easing in the tailoring and phasing out the hoodies and sweatshirts at their recent collections. As luxury goods today get more saturated with products that are seen on practically every other person, sooner or later, men’s couture will definitely have its place in the fashion agenda.
Editor
Bohan Qiu
