How the Internet has changed men’s clothing

Not so long ago, people interested in fashion were a quiet minority with their main source of information being the monthly magazines or retail catalogs they read in solitude.

The Internet has changed that. By the 2000s, men gathered on online forums where they could discuss everything from Japanese denim to traditional tailoring and interact with designers through visuals. Style.com catwalk. The explosion of social media has turned menswear from a minor hobby into an online phenomenon, complete with its own hashtag – #menswear. Although Instagram launched in 2010, it was only on Tumblr back then. It has practically turned personal style into a competition.

“Thanks to Tumblr’s visual-first, context-second interface, #menswear has created a high-heel monster: the modern-day peacock – a man who dresses for the Internet, not for himself.” Jian DeLeon, then a fashion writer and today the man fashion director at Nordstrom, wrote for GQ in 2013.

Since then, the Internet has continued to exert its influence on menswear, allowing boys to find a community for clothing but also fostering a mentality that prioritizes scoring online.

Derek Guy was in the front row. He’s been a permanent member of the online menswear community for over a decade, contributing to forums and blogs while writing on his own website (called Die, Workwear!). A keen observer of the culture surrounding clothing, he recently became one of the most popular men’s clothing commentators on social media after he was included in a user’s timeline by algorithm following changes to Twitter’s content recommendation engine after Elon Musk bought it.

BoF spoke to Guy about how the Internet has changed the way men approach fashion, giving craftspeople a lifeline and making Internet scoring an alternative to dressing well.

BoF: It seems that online culture is something different that is shaping the way we dress and talk about fashion. How do you see online culture affecting the way men dress?

Derek Guy: The Internet has reshaped the way we see ourselves as a group. It’s not just that I consider myself a resident of this particular neighborhood, working in this particular location, or a fan of this team. My group identity can also be part of a hobby I find on the internet. I might consider myself a ‘denim head’, even though there are no denim heads in my physical community. I would buy certain jeans to impress my online friends in this denim group and then post pictures to get likes in this group.

That also spills over into physical space. [Denim retailer] Self Edge built its business in part thanks to forums like Super Future and Styleforum as well as blogs that educate people about Japanese fringe denim.

BoF: You recently wrote an article on your website about a similar idea, which is how the Internet works. saves on custom shoemaking. What role does the Internet play there?

DG: The short answer is that the Internet has allowed people to discover artisans independent of major companies. The rise of ready-to-wear clothing means fewer people are buying bespoke shoes, so over time the number of London craftsmen making shoes dwindles and those that are left will eventually be consolidated into stores. this great company. By the turn of the 20th century, these large companies had essentially dominated the market. I think big companies are not great anymore. My theory is that they couldn’t find enough skilled workers to make the necessary product.

The [crafts]those who remained eventually became independents. They attack on their own, and they can only survive thanks to enthusiasts who truly care about the quality of their clothes – these are people who read about shoemaking and tailoring and are obsessed with whether breasts are real. manual padding or not. machine-cushioned, whether or not the number of stitches is appropriate on the shoe – they will eventually visit forums or find these manufacturers through blogs or Instagram accounts.

BoF: It has been suggested that the Internet has actually increased the appreciation of the craft. Do you think so, or are these craft enthusiasts always out there and the Internet just makes them more visible?

DG: Obviously there are always people who appreciate craftsmanship. The thing is, when you read a lot of old accounts – and I fully realize these people really appreciate their ingenuity – they still aren’t as technical as they are written today. When you read shoe debates online, they’re crazy. I’ve actually seen 15 years of competition online over gems [a footwear construction technique]. When you read older literature on craftsmanship, they tend to focus on the magical experience of making a private order: the tailor wraps a measuring tape around you and the words ‘Cary Grant Came Here’ along vague allusions to quality and craftsmanship. I think the Internet has given more people access to the craft and given people a deeper appreciation of the craft.

BoF: There’s also a counter-story that says everything is designed for Instagram now. You have to make everything stand out and the subtle details are not as important as they used to be. Does the same thing exist with this approach where people are really obsessed with the details?

DG: What you say is generally true. That shows how different streetwear or haute couture can be, [but in] the ready-to-wear community, instead of buying the ‘boring’ brown and black Oxfords that I like, people will buy green alligator leather Oxfords and red hippo Oxfords, which are I think it’s just an Instagram candy that can’t be worn in a costume.

There’s been this trend among guys who really like custom shoes where you have a seamless heel. If you look at most business shoes, it’s definitely ready-to-wear but there are even a lot of custom-made ones, [on] The heel will have a seam going up the back. On request, you can order shoes without that seam, so guys will do that and post pictures. Another is a seamless back on a sports suit or jacket. That’s really a downside – if you’re talking about realistic tailoring effects, you won’t get a seamless back. But if you’re talking about posting online and getting internet points, you’ll get a seamless response because then you can say, ‘This shows ingenuity’.

BoF: That’s related to another thing you wrote about, which is that online men’s clothing culture is really influencing tastes because products run the risk of becoming uncontextual, detached objects. separate from their original intended use. What effect does that have?

DG: I think about that often. On the internet, everything is wrapped in four borders. It’s a photo that exists on your screen. There are many problems with this. Fifteen years ago, a lot of the discussion online about menswear was about how to dress well. Over time, that becomes more and more collectible. People will eventually read about these certain details [and] it creates curiosity that can only be satisfied by experience. You will buy it to experience and then that will satisfy your curiosity. Now it’s just a collectible that you post online for internet points.

The biggest discussions are about watches, shoes and the collectability of these: prices, details, posting these items online. When you look at watch discussions, no one posts a full picture of how the watch works with the outfit. They only show the wrist. The danger is that we are treating these objects like baseball cards and bragging about these things online but they have nothing to do with our real lives.

BoF: In my experience with online men’s clothing culture, you can see the same phenomenon happening elsewhere, such as with sneakers and streetwear or high designer fashion. grant.

DG: I know that because it can come off as snobby and judgmental, but it’s something to be criticized because one of the things that hasn’t been published online is the stories about when people unloaded the stuff. this item. They don’t get posted because people don’t brag about it anymore. I think that deserves criticism because I don’t think it’s a smart use of money and I don’t think it leads to a happy outcome either. I realize that all of us who love clothes have massive wardrobes and we all have clothes we don’t wear. I don’t think this is a matter of collectors alone. But it will help you to hold back a little bit and think, ‘How does this make a nice outfit? How does it relate to my lifestyle?’

BoF: Has the place of clothing itself in one’s lifestyle changed?

DG: When I was growing up, clothes were still important but they were secondary to other hobbies. You love skating, hip-hop, punk or surfing and those groups have their own dress codes. In that group, that’s how you have to dress. Over time, fashion has become a hobby and the main activity is shopping.

BoF: Of course, this existed to some extent before the Internet. People will go to stores and shop for fun.

DG: Before, at least you had to go out and walk around. Now, shopping happens in the same digital space where you do your work. The excitement and enjoyment is just getting the tracking number, then follow the tracking number and the package has arrived. It’s a tough one because I’m very careful when criticizing this. This story leads to the story that fashion is frivolous, while I think fashion is actually quite important and meaningful to people’s lives. But I also think it’s important to realize that this is a very strange part of fashion.

BoF: You’ve been in online culture for a while. Has it changed yet?

DG: Fifteen years ago, I think there was a little more consensus on how we all want to dress. If you happen to be aware of men’s clothing culture online, you’ll fall into a small network of blogs and all of these blogs are about certain aesthetics, like Ivy, workwear, men’s clothing, and more. tailoring. That will inform your preferences and shape your preferences, and give you basic information on how to dress. Now there is not much consensus. You can wear Rick Owens or streetwear or tailor-made.

BoF: Did the internet contribute to the popularity of fashion among men today? When I was a kid, if you were a boy, it wouldn’t be nice to pay attention to fashion if there was actually a way to do it. Now I see teenagers who can name fashion designers. Does that happen without internet?

DG: Part of it is about changing gender norms. I think young people are less concerned with whether men are allowed to like clothes or not. When I was younger, fashion was considered a much stronger woman’s hobby. Still the same, but I think young people care less about that gender norm.

The Internet has allowed many people to discuss clothing, find community in it, and remove some of the stigma. I would layer that above generational changes. There’s a part of me that sometimes gets shocked when I see college students wearing or talking about Balenciaga and Raf Simons. When I was young, there wasn’t much pressure to wear such expensive items. But I think the internet has allowed people to share this concern.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.