More younger men are replacing their Champion hoodies for Vetements and their normal shoes for Balenciaga; it’s clear something is happening in fashion. In an industry of ever-changing styles and trends, it would only make sense that its consumers would change, too.  

 Typically, womenswear is advertised more in the media and runway shows. In this age of streetwear and high fashion merging into almost the same thing, it’s not hard to see why men are embracing it.

  “I think that with the gradual elimination of gender roles in our society, men are more free to express themselves in fashion,” Alex Dunbier (12) said.

  The recent phenomenon stems back to 2013 when rapper A$AP Rocky rose to popularity talking about designers Raf Simons, Rick Owens and Alexander Wang. As a result, many of Rocky’s young male fans did their research and fell in love with these designers pieces. Another glaring reason for the trend is Virgil Abloh, creator of Off White and creative director for Louis Vuitton. Abloh began as Kanye’s assistant before starting Off White and dressing as many celebrities as he could in it, turning it into one of the top streetwear brands. The last major reason for the growth of male consumers is Supreme and Bape. These two brands brought Japan’s use of clothing drops―a small collection at any time during the season―to the mainstream. While high-fashion brands are only releasing a few times a year, coming-up brands can now drop whenever they want.

  “Living in a society where gender is ever-changing has changed fashions culture, and I don’t think it’s more about men; I think it’s more of a unisex situation where everyone is wearing everything,” Aidan Rucker (11) said.

  The change in demographic is becoming more obvious, even based off of summer spring shows. Louis Vuitton had the most talked-about runway walk in France: a men’s show. Also in winter, one of the most talked-about collections was the North Face and Supreme collaboration drop. The trend of men’s engagement in fashion can be beneficial for our gender-equal culture as it’s forcing designers to experiment more with their art. The new generation of designers will have a more varied group of eyes on them.

  “I think that with more male designers who live flashy lives and hang out with rappers, it has created a new love for fashion in young men who see it as something their favorite rapper is a part of, making it something they want to be a part of,” Dexie Schalassa (12) said.