Menswear is genreless

The new genre is no genre; so wear whatever the f*ck you want!

Aug 10, 2023

If you look at the arc of menswear over the last 30+ years (we’ll just talk about America here), dominant themes define each era.

For example, the 90s were driven by American sportswear (Ralph’s globalization, J.Crew catalogs, Gap, etc).

The Americana defined the mid-late 00s. It was raw denim and Red Wing boots. Words like heritage, crafted, or made in the USA evoked a since of pride.

Then came the #menswear blip, where we all wore horrifically fitted suits with floral pocket squares and double monks.

And then the proliferation of sneakers, streetwear, and athleisure.

Followed by the mainstream-ification of gorpcore (while it was originally part of the subcultures of rap and hip-hop communities in the 90s).

Sorry, enough with the history.

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed another grand shift happening, and it’s been tough to name it till recently: menswear feels genreless right now.

Let me clarify that this is less about the fact that there isn’t a singular defining genre, and more about the acknowledgment that we don’t need a singular genre.

The ways in which we self-identify is more fluid than ever, and it’s paved the way to say no genre is the new genre.

Here are three characteristics defining this shift…

Irony is the point
Individuality is the new uniform
Clashing is the signal

The irony is the point

Social algorithms, memes, and internet culture have made getting dressing for anything a race for attention.

It’s wearing Nirvana t-shirts when you never liked them in the first place. It’s rocking Carhartt double-knees with paint splatters when you’ve never painted in your life.

It’s the goddamn MSCHF boots!

Clothing isn’t just about clothing anymore; it’s about knowing where the intersection of luxury, culture, and entertainment meet and what cultural moments to tap into. (FWIW, this is why LVMH wanted someone like Pharrell to lead their design/CD role).

Individuality is the new uniform

We have this painstaking need to flex our individuality (which isn’t a bad thing).

Everybody wants the 1-of-1.

We want our shit to tell a story.

Jian DeLeon (Fashion Director at Nordstrom) commissioned Bode to design him a custom jacket as an homage to his Filipino roots, and it turned out so damn good!

The piece perfectly reflects what’s important to Jian in his life. Another brand that nails customizing garments is Small Talk Studio.

Beyond that, other brands pick a niche to make something so wildly good (and unique) that it becomes their personality.

KPC makes dope camp collar shirts out of fabric that’s older than WW2.

Story MFG makes crochet bucket hats that look like your grandma knitted it. And it’s great.

GLOR finds ancient Moroccan textiles and turns them into magnificent chore coats.

Ultimately, standing out is blending in, and having any number of unique, one-off is a signal that says something about y o u and what your values are.

Clashing is the signal

Tyler, the Creator is a great reference point for personal style. He understands the law of opposites, or power clashing, as the kids say.

Nothing matches, but everything works.

Aaron Levine—former Club Monaco and Abercrombie men’s designer, and all-around menswear OG—calls this creating tension, which I love. Aaron’s the master of creating tension with his fits too. And what tension teaches you is that you can be…

Loud and quiet.

Color and neutral.

Vintage and new.

You simply create enough space for one piece to stand out while the others sit in the background. One piece gets to the forefront, while the other sits in the background. There are plenty of other style references I draw from who pull this off effortlessly, but here are a few…

I like the idea of mixing and matching genres, personally. We’re complex people with diverse tastes (some of us, at least, lol), and the way we dress should reflect that. At the same time, this shift towards wearing pieces purely for moments, shock value, and irony is a race to the bottom.

Instead, you should just wear clothes that make you comfortable, happy, and stylish and if it all looks good together, even better!