It is no secret that I have become obsessed with male fashion, so when I saw that the Victoria and Albert Museum was putting on an exhibition titled ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear’, I was both excited and curious to see how they would present this vast and complex topic. 

Today, the discussion surrounding toxic masculinity has become ever-present especially among Gen-Z who are trying to push rigid gender binaries through artistic mediums. Throughout the centuries, male fashion has become an imposition, pressuring men to conform to a certain kind of dress to escape the risk of being mislabelled. Ironically, it has become a tool for oppression rather than a mode of self-expression and individuality. 

In collaboration with Gucci, the exhibition at the V&A has attempted to put the pieces together, exploring the evolution of male dress from as early as the 16^th century until present day, whilst also challenging key problematics with toxic masculinity. Gucci’s Creative Director, Alessandro Michele, is trying to push the brand away from fashion categories specifically allocated to the male or female body, in the hopes that by blurring the lines between trends and styles, fashion can become more inclusive. 

The exhibition layout was clear and chronological, comprising 100 outfits and 100 artworks from the extensive V&A Collection. The first room named ‘Undressed’ strips back male fashion to the very basics: the male body and undergarments. I was…