When? October 20, 2021
Where? The Sky Lounge at The Upper House
Who? Denise Ho, Kieran Ho, Johnny Li
Here’s what you missed: On October 20, Tatler’s multimedia editor Aaron Safir went on a quest to find out about the direction of men's fashion in Asia for October’s edition of Tatler House Stories at The Upper House. On the panel was Denise Ho, stylist and founder of accessories brand Kitdo; Johnny Li, menswear buying manager at Lane Crawford; and Kieran Ho, senior vice president for Purple PR Hong Kong.
“I don’t like the labels of men versus women. If we look at history, wigs, make-up, high heels and perfume were originally designed for male aristocrats. Why can’t men reclaim heels?” said Kieran. Celebrities like Harry Styles, Jaden Smith, Ezra Miller and Wang Yibo have all been celebrated for breaking gender norms by incorporating stereotypically feminine silhouettes, colours and accessories into their looks. What’s clear is that the boundaries of menswear are expanding, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a controversial choice to don a dress.
“If a woman wears a pair of trousers, we don’t bat an eyelid. So can gender-neutral clothing crack that inequality of judgement that we cast on men?” asked Safir. Li gave the men’s suit as an example of the challenges of introducing new styles to the market: “The silhouette of a man’s suit hasn’t changed for centuries. That’s how slowly the trends in menswear change.” It started a debate about the business of fashion. “Lane Crawford has been trying to incorporate a lot more experimental and gender-fluid clothes [into our stores],” Li said. “We stock Dion Lee, who designs unisex clothes. The products are very interesting, but for other brands, we can’t just look at clothes creatively; we have to look at them financially and see how many men are willing to buy from them.”
Though Denise said she believed luxury brands and magazines still play a role in guiding trends, she underlined that the movement stems from individuals looking for ways to express themselves outside the parameters of mainstream fashion. “Fashion is constantly evolving. My good friend Peter Cheung told me he isn’t afraid to buy women’s clothes because he finds them more interesting. He restyles them to fit his aesthetic, which is great. It may not be for everybody but it’s a very interesting direction.”
Local brands that are challenging gender stereotypes include DEMO by Derek Chan, which has built a cult following around its approach of “soft masculinity”, which employs handmade embellishments and embroidery, rich textiles, and contemporary styling. And this panel of experts was fully onboard.
“I’m excited for this period of change. It’s time for men to finally have some fun,” said Kieran. While Denise added, “If the clothes are good, consumers will buy it.”