Critical Studies in Men's Fashion - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2024

This article explores the first-hand experience of the diversity in styles of men’s briefs. It questions the standard categorization of briefs based on coverage and leg length. Due to the advent of internet-based sales channels, the scope for design has widened dramatically. The quality and experience of underwear styles is not captured in waistband dimensions and information on fabric. The article questions some ideas about designers’ ability to communicate product understanding given the tacit, non-verbal and haptic qualities inherent in briefs. It also raises questions about research paradigms common in industrial design research. This article is thus both about the subject (men’s briefs) and the means of research (research paradigm). The article combines aspects of design research used for industrial design and approaches such as wardrobe studies and interpretation used in fashion research.

This article explores Japan’s growing war mentality in the period leading up to the Second World War, connecting it with an analysis of how fashion shifted before, during and after the war by focusing on the Japanese men’s national clothing of the kokuminfuku, a simply designed military-like costume that minimized textile waste. Fashion scenes worldwide had quiet years; pleasurable, fun activities were not suitable for wartime, and raw materials used in the production of clothing had to be directed for military purposes, particularly in a resource-poor nation such as Japan. Thus, this is a period of Japanese fashion that has rarely been studied, even by Japanese fashion scholars, in contrast to numerous studies on Taisho modernity, and the cultural developments in the post-war rapid economic boom. By reviewing both official and media publications, my aim is to assess how the government-led promotion of the kokuminfuku affected both the growing war mentality and dress code when material shortages were the major issue. Unlike the nineteenth-century sartorial promotion of wearing a western suit instead of the kimono, the kokuminfuku was short-lived. With the rapid recovery from the war, it soon became relegated to the archives of fashion. Even eight decades since the conclusion of the war, it is still widely held in Japanese museums, assisting our understanding of the brutal war from the perspective of fashion studies.

In recent years, a distinct dress style has emerged among young Muslim males in Kasaragod, Kerala, particularly on Instagram. These unique dress performativities challenge the prevailing religious and regional status quo. By examining the performative aspects of mediated dress, this study explores the possibility of the emergence of a subculture among young Muslim males on Instagram. Through digital ethnographic observation of five Instagram handles, the study reveals that young Muslim males in Kasaragod show initial articulations of a subculture, although it has not yet fully achieved subcultural status. They employ distinct colours, patterns and fashion accessories to accentuate unique identities through their dress. These dress styles deviate from conventional norms, appearing indecent, unprofessional and intimidating, thereby questioning regional and religious norms. However, the community exhibits limited contravention of Islamic sartorial principles, adding intricacies to subcultural articulations.

This essay reflects on the discomfort with zip-off trousers despite their clear sustainable benefits. It critiques the current state of sustainability in fashion, arguing that the overemphasis on practicality, particularly in garments like zip-off trousers, often leads to a lack of appeal. Drawing a parallel to high-heeled shoes, which transitioned from practical items to symbols of power, societal belonging and self-expression, the essay suggests that sustainability in fashion needs to similarly transcend its practical roots. I contend that to make sustainability fashionable, it must be embedded within the practices of power, attraction and self-expression, rather than remaining solely practical.

This photo essay reflects on almost a decade of nightclub and visual-arts-based performance practice. It reflects on changing relationships between the author/performer’s body, the materials they adorn it with and their critical motivations for doing so. It reflects on the tension and differences between producing work for the nightclub and for more traditional fine art contexts. The essay looks back at the author’s uptake of readymade kites in costumes for drag and cabaret style performance in Sydney’s queer underground. It maps the emergence of the kite as symbolic of tension, resistance and grief in their oeuvre, within which themes of ecological collapse, ecological lament, materiality, queerness and wildness commingle.

This reflection explores our shared humanity and invites us to reconsider what it means to create and consume. How can we design fashion by drawing from the voices, knowledge and memories of our territory, using a holistic approach that supports local initiatives and fosters cultural strengthening and social cohesion? By embracing perspectives from the periphery and challenging mainstream narratives, I have developed a more authentic approach to my work, generating spaces for creative dialogue and empowerment with diverse Indigenous communities in my home country, Colombia.

This essay explores the intersection of fashion and art through Helmut Lang’s work and my own creative practice. It examines Lang’s innovative approach to fashion design and his transition to art, highlighting how his work blurred disciplinary boundaries. Focusing on Lang’s sculptural series make it hard (2010–13) and my own recently completed sculptural project Printemps/été 2000, the essay examines how both projects transform fashion garments into sculptural objects, revealing the interplay between destruction and preservation. By exploring these material and conceptual transpositions, the essay underscores the fluidity between fashion and art. It also reflects on the evolving role of the fashion archive in the post-internet era, where digital and material archives become dynamic, creative resources, offering new ways to engage with fashion as an art form.

The Growth Curve explores a new vision of masculinity through menswear, drawing inspiration from Chinese opera and its fluid gender expressions. This project reimagines masculinity by blending soft, romantic aesthetics with sculptural, rigid structures. Inspired by the character Cheng Dieyi from Farewell My Concubine, the collection reflects the tension between vulnerability and strength, offering a multifaceted interpretation of modern masculinity. The construction of the garments incorporates sustainable practices, using single pieces of fabric to create three-dimensional, versatile designs. This article discusses the intricate design process, the cultural references that informed the collection, and how the garments challenge traditional masculine norms by embracing softness as a form of power.