The decade that stretches from 2010 to 2019 brought about some of the largest shifts in fashion we’ve ever seen, culminating in the full realization of concepts that had been set in motion over previous years. Perhaps the greatest shift was the fact that streetwear and luxury fashion finally co-mingled in ways that had never been accomplished before; within 10 years, every luxury label was looking to create the next big sneaker silhouette while streetwear labels were graduating to the runway.
When the 2010s began, many fashion houses were barely concerned with menswear offerings. Instead, men were offered buzzy brands that upgraded tailoring, often with youthful sportswear or blue collar touches, accessible retooled heritage and designers with uncompromising visions, albeit visions that didn’t make for appropriate officewear. Still, from humble beginnings came the movements that eventually unspooled the stiff confines of men’s clothing.
Though the ‘00s saw some early dabbling, menswear’s boundaries were too firm to be fully challenged. Consider New York’s Cloak, an early 2000s effort that was revelatory at the time (Tim Blanks described co-designer Alexandre Plokhov as an outsider in 2006), but now looks comparatively tame. These were the baby steps that guided menswear’s growth; from the workwear boom of the late ‘00s/early ’10s to early stabs at codifying what would become athleisure, this was the decade that shaped what menswear will become in the ensuing years.
The listed designers were key in subverting not only menswear norms, but also transforming industry and cultural expectations as a whole. Though there is a lack of women and people of color, the fashion industry’s glass ceiling is finally showing some signs of giving way.
