NORMAL – Uwe, a human of the male gender, standing next to some motorbikes. Uwe dressed as himself.
Text – Hans Bussert Photography – Tim Bruening Styling – Josepha Rodriguez
Above is a picture of Uwe. He is a 35-year-old magazine-publishing, facial hair-wearing, robust, funny, philosophical and otherwise normal man who lives in Hamburg in the late-Modern era. But is fashion, with its fetish for all things young and boyish, making a mockery of him – and therefore, all men? Sleek attempts to discover the truth, in this experiment in style…
Fast cars, stirred drinks and impeccably smart suits – the great male narrative still does a wonderful job of luring many of us into buying that three-piece suit or those monk straps we’ve been eyeing at “Mr Fitzroy’s Haberdashery” for a while now. Yet there seems to be this desire by some – namely a horde of fashion designers – to make us look as if we were back on our way to the womb. Why exactly is it that a huge part of contemporary fashion is apparently addressing us as three- to 16-years-olds, rather than as grown men? Looking at some of this season’s offerings for example, one can get the impression that dressing like a toddler on the school run, or like a choirboy late from football practice, is an appropriate get-up for any man wanting to appear fashionable. But are they? Can any man simply put on one of those outfits and stride among his peers and be in fashion? And if not, why would anyone want us to wear that kind of nonsense?
There are many theories as to why fashion looks the way it does – and some will even find their way into this report. The experiment is a form of empirical research when it comes to dissecting what humans make of their need to dress. Each morning we have to face the streets with what we, only a few minutes ago, were able to compose out of our wardrobes and drawers – it would seem to be enough of an experiment for most. Or maybe it has to do with fashion’s fickle nature: no look will ever feel the same because fashion always depends on mood, time of the day and context. But whatever it is that has led the scholars to remain stylishly tied to their studies, we will not succumb. We will go into the field for this.
In our case the field is the autumnal streets of Hamburg, which also form the natural habitat of our test person, Uwe Jens Bermeitinger. Here the editor-in-chief of Tissue magazine lives in the neighbourhood of Karolinenviertel, where he enjoys some recognition as a man of our times. When we meet Uwe on the night before our experiment, he is dressed in his normal attire: a blue worker-style jacket, grey T-shirt, grey pants, and some off-brand running shoes. One of his “more casual” looks, as he assures us. We will use this as a proof sample for later reference. Please also note the confidence – and the width! – of the stance he performs in front of the graffitied walls of his house. Even his gesturing seems to scream: “What can I do? I just have that certain Je ne sais quoi!” How will he feel once he’s dressed in this season’s more boyish looks? Can some fashion designer’s childhood fantasy break Uwe’s manly stance towards life? We were about to find that out.
At 10am the next morning we are greeted by a different Uwe. In a pair of shorts, knee-high tennis socks and a slip-over shirt under a preppy blazer, he looks very Thom Browne-ish. And while this is more or less acceptable in the fashion capitals of the world, we wonder how this man-boy will go about this Saturday’s chores in sartorially less advanced Hamburg. Following Uwe straight to the market, one notices that at each stall he is met with some smiles; Uwe himself starts smiling and laughing a lot. Is that the boyishness of the look? It does look frivolous and, yes, gay. Does gay styling bring joy to the world and thus make its wearer’s heart a little lighter too? If so, wouldn’t we have to thank all couturiers who helped us face the challenges of our times – unemployment, civil wars, the extinction of species – by taking us back to some campy kindergarden first?
BOYISH – Uwe attempts to dress fashionably like a choirboy or Boy Scout, as he buys some fruit and vegetables. Shirt: Hien Le, Shorts: Uwe’s own, Sleveless sweater: Dries van Noten, Jacket: Tiger of Sweden, Backpack, socks and shoes: vintage