From macho to corsages: The changing face of masculinity in AW26

While a few seasons ago the rise of a softer, and perhaps more feminine, image for menswear was clearly visible, there are now also clear trends that opt for the traditional image of masculinity. This was evident from the trend seminar for the AW26 season, presented by forecaster Edwin van den Hoek.

Think, for example, of the focus on fitness and muscular bodies, tattoos, but also survival in nature. This renewed focus on traditional masculinity can be attributed to several factors. One is the manosphere, which reaches many men, especially on social media. The manosphere is a strong opposition to feminism and supports the idea that women unfairly have advantages and that men are disadvantaged. This movement is further supported by the fact that former US president Donald Trump only recognised the genders male and female and wanted to ban a large number of words and terms from everyday use. These include, for example, the words ‘feminism’, ‘transgender’, ‘asexual’, ‘disabled’, ‘discrimination’, ‘diversity’ and many others.

Although this movement weighs heavily on trends in menswear, there are fortunately also lighter and more colourful trends. Van den Hoek divided his forecast into four themes. Below is a brief description.

Menswear trends AW26: Changing face of masculinity according to Edwin van den Hoek

AW26 menswear trend: ‘Competitive’

The word ‘competitive’ is twofold within this trend. First of all, there is the battle with robotics, according to Van den Hoek. Thanks to technological progress, more and more is possible in the field of design. This creates a new design language, for example by 3D printing or 3D knitting items. During the presentation, shoes from Oxman and Taware Kicks were shown. Oxman’s shoes are made on the basis of polymers that originate in bacteria and the final product is also fully biodegradable.

The other side of the ‘competitive’ coin is the attention to motorsport, which has increased in recent years. On the catwalk, many forms of F1 references and motorcycle suits were seen. Not only that, several brands entered into collaborations with traditional F1 brands. Think, for example, of Reiss with McLaren and Louis Vuitton with Formula One in general. The fact that a film about Formula One, starring Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, was released this year also helped with the momentum of the style.

AW26 menswear trend: ‘Isolated’

The second theme that Van den Hoek addressed during the seminar at FC Hyena in Amsterdam was ‘isolated’. This is the theme where men go back to nature. This can be done, for example, by surviving, where traditional survival items have been upgraded. Think, for example, of the zip-off trousers 2.0, but also a poncho that can be unfolded into a tent by Nike Ispa. The looks that are common here have many pockets, drawstrings and laces.

Back to nature also means going back to materials and patterns from nature. For example, there is (faux) fur and hairy materials on the catwalks of Dior and Todd Snyder, among others. New forms of camouflage, not the traditional army pattern, but more of a splash effect, also fit within this theme.

AW26 menswear trend: ‘Revived’

In recent years, one could not ignore the re-evaluation of materials, patterns and historical looks. The ‘revived’ theme zooms in on various ‘retro’ elements. Think, for example, of the various versions of checks, but also stripes. These traditional patterns are revived and given a different look by blurring or by zooming in or out and playing with proportion.

Something else that has also been revived is the suit. At the beginning of the pandemic, Van den Hoek still feared the death of the tailored suit, but the younger generation has actually caused a revival. It is no longer the heavily structured suit, but lighter and more flowing.

AW26 menswear trend: ‘Dramatic’

The love of history actually continues in the ‘dramatic’ theme. Historical looks such as blouses with ruffles or neck scarves are given a modern look. This theme is also about excessive clothing and the use of accessories. Decorated fabrics, jacquards and floral patterns fit in here.

“This is about expressing luxury. Not subtle, but really in your face,” said Van den Hoek. A good example of this was the most recent Met Gala in May 2025. The theme for the well-known New York benefit gala was ‘Black Dandyism’. Several guests took the dress code to heart and went all out with jewellery, luxurious fabrics, corsages and pearls.

Despite the seminar starting off rather dark; Van den Hoek could not ignore the events in the world, there are still many bright spots and playfulness to be found in the forecast for AW26. Despite the faster rise of the manosphere, Van den Hoek hopes that the softer and feminine side of masculinity will not be overshadowed.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com