The recently presented Spring 2022 Menswear Shows have many things in common but an interesting factor was spotted on runways from all brands: the use of the colour pink. Most frequently attributed to womenswear, pink, which seems to be a unanimous colour this season, was all over men’s garments. As fashion trends come from the runways, keep an open eye – and mind – and get ready to see lots of men dressed in pink in the near future.

Nowadays, pink is a colour most commonly associated with women and womenswear. To give a brief explanation of how this concept got to our minds, we first need to understand the history of the colour pink over the years. Pink was not always tied to femininity. On the contrary, seen as an undertone of red, which was the main colour of nobility, power, and war, it used to be a colour largely worn by powerful men. Back in 1918, an article from Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department trade publication stated that “The generally accepted rule is pink for boys, and blue for girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl”. It means that, about only a hundred years ago, pink used to be a colour attributed to boys and not to girls as we currently perceive it. This fact clearly demonstrates how ideas can change in our society, and it sometimes can happen very quickly.

Regarding the use of pink, it all changed when, after World War II, Mamie Eisenhower became the First Lady of the United States. Mamie used to love the colour pink, she used to believe that it flattered her, so it was a colour she wore extensively. She even used pink to decorate the White House. At that time, Mamie was linked to traditional feminine concepts – like being a wife, a mother and a person responsible for the family’s home – therefore, the colour pink began being associated with those same concepts. In addition, considering that the post-war was a period of abundance and that women were tired of the boring, too serious war garments they had been wearing – usually in black and blue – Mamie’s pink conquered them. “Funny Face”, a 1957 movie, also contributed to pink becoming a trend among women since there is a line in it that says: “banish the black, burn the blue, and bury the beige… from now on girl, think pink”. The 1950s were the Golden Age of Hollywood, so it is fair to say that this movie influenced millions of women. From then on, pink was “officially” a women’s colour, tied to the concepts of femininity. In the 1980s it became possible for pregnant women to find out their baby’s sex before birth, and pink became popular for baby girls, and blue for baby boys. The choice of colours according to sex came as an industry’s strategy to sell more.

From this story, it gets easy to realize that everything is based on social construction. Society creates notions and meanings for things, just like it happened to the association of the colour pink to women. But, over the past few years, the concept of pink being linked to delicacy and fragility has been shifting. Moreover, the misconception that colours relate to gender has fallen apart. Pink – as well as any other colour – is now a colour that can be worn by everyone. Freedom of choice is one of the most amazing accomplishments of our society. According to Lyst, the searches for “pink menswear” increased around 124% since the beginning of May this year. In line with that, Spring 2022 menswear runways have showcased a lot of pink pieces. The colour appeared in shows from Dior Homme, Jil Sander, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Loewe, Ami, GmbH, Moschino, and VTMNTS. Models crossed the most prestigious runways in pink suits, shorts, pants, shirts, coats, jackets, socks, accessories, and shoes. With shades going from flushed, light rosé to bright pink and fuschia, the message is that pink will be the winning colour for men next year.

Hermès Spring 2022 Menswear Look 17

Moschino Spring 2022 Menswear Look 34

Alexander McQueen Spring 2022 Menswear Look 3

Dior Homme Spring 2022 Menswear Look 11

VTMNTS Spring 2022 Menswear Look 7

What is your opinion on men wearing pink clothes? How much do you like pink pieces for men? With all advances our society accomplished, colour is no longer tied to sex or gender. So get ready to spot lots of men dressed in pink!

Published by HOLR Magazine.