Colin MacGregor   |   2014   |   Apparel Design & Economics

Skirts have become a more commonly discussed and featured article of clothing in mens fashion, yet it will be years before skirts can be expected to be a staple in the average man’s wardrobe. While designer runway collections frequently feature a token man-skirt, the format of runway fashion shows, in which each look/outfit is viewed one-at-a-time, never presented skirts for men in a way that inspired me to support this fashion movement. However, a recent trip to Cambridge University changed me, as my exposure to large groups of men in kilts forced me to contemplate man-skirts, re-evaluating the place of skirts in Western menswear. I wanted to recreate my experience at Cambridge, creating a series of kilts and presenting seven men in skirts, as it was the multitude of men wearing skirts that had turned me into a proponent. Numbers were essential. This project was less about creating fashion, and far more about contemplating it. It took a group of men to change my mind; it took a “fullness” that runway fashion has lacked. It was this fullness that I aimed to create.