{"id":747517,"date":"2025-11-27T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T02:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=747517"},"modified":"2025-11-27T05:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T02:30:00","slug":"pink-is-having-a-political-moment-in-menswear-will-it-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=747517","title":{"rendered":"Pink Is Having a Political Moment in Menswear. Will It Sell?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fashion<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Pink Is Having a Political Moment in Menswear. Will It Sell?<\/h1>\n
By <\/span>Ashley Ogawa Clarke<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

November 27, 2025<\/p>\n

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    Artwork: Vogue Business<\/em>\/ Photo: Getty Images, Gorunway.com<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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    Men? Wearing pink? It\u2019s more likely than you think.<\/p>\n

    Earlier this month, a preppy Fair Isle holiday sweater by J.Crew, in an innocent shade of pink, caused uproar online after conservative commentator Juanita Broaddrick posted it on X with the comment, \u201cAre you kidding me?? Men, would you wear this $168 sweater?\u201d Broaddrick\u2019s followers weren\u2019t tickled pink. \u201cThat\u2019s how every Democrat is dressing for Thanksgiving,\u201d joked a user called Liberal Tear Creator.<\/p>\n

    The meltdown comes at a time when what men should and shouldn\u2019t wear is under debate, especially in right-wing circles empowered by the febrile political climate. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting that the backlash against the jumper is happening in the US, where a kind of exaggerated hegemonic masculinity is now mainstream again, and embodied by powerful men in government and business,\u201d says Veronika Koller, professor of discourse studies at Lancaster University. \u201cIt\u2019s based on derogating and marginalising femininity and other masculinities, and one whose boundaries are very much \u2018policed\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    The blush-colored sweater from J.Crew that caused an uproar online.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: J.Crew<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Whether netizens like it or not, menswear\u2019s leading designers are currently thinking pink. Brands from Dior to Paul Smith to Willy Chavarria filled their latest collections with it, including sweaters and shirts in shades that spanned dusty rose to fuchsia. \u201cThe runway strongly suggests that pink is a rising shade,\u201d says Krista Corrigan, senior retail analyst at intelligence platform EDITED.<\/p>\n

    Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, the designer duo behind Brooklyn-based brand Tanner Fletcher, find the online reaction to the J.Crew sweater \u201cabsurd\u201d. \u201cIt all leads back to toxic masculinity,\u201d says Richie. \u201cWomen have no problem wearing blue\u2026but certain men seem to be so fragile when it comes to their femininity.\u201d The brand sent a pink sweater of its own down the runway of its SS26 show; the faintest shade of blush, it featured eyelets around the V-neckline and was cropped just above the hips.<\/p>\n

    The runway remains way ahead of the wider market when it comes to pink, however, pointing to caution among less fashion-forward brands. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen the mass market commit to pink in the way they jumped on colors like burgundy or butter yellow in 2025,\u201d says Corrigan. The data reflects the hesitation, with new apparel investment in pink dropping around 10% year-on-year in 2025. \u201cThat said, there are definite bright spots,\u201d she says, adding that sell-outs for pink rose 17% year-on-year in SS25. \u201cThis proves there\u2019s demand.\u201d Menswear retailer Mr Porter also reports an uptick in pink. \u201cPink is something we’re seeing trend more,\u201d says Daniel Todd, buying director, noting that brands such as Auralee and Drake\u2019s are doing pink well. \u201cCustomers tend to gravitate towards styles they can layer with, such as shirts, T-shirts and knitwear, rather than the likes of outerwear.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    (Left) Dior; (right) Willy Chavarria SS26.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Gorunway.com<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Pink is not new, and has cycled in and out of masculine dress from 18th-century aristocrats to Miami Vice<\/em> detectives. Irene Kim, Vogue Runway<\/em>\u2019s production and editorial associate, recently covered the J.Crew story for Vogue<\/em>, digging into pink on menswear runways past and present. \u201cSince the early 2000s, you can find plenty of hunky men wearing hot pink in our archive,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

    Even so, hangups have remained. \u201cThere is still a residual feeling for some that pink is more closely associated with women,\u201d says Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute. This naturally influences brand behavior. Cristopher Nying, co-founder of Swedish brand Our Legacy, recalls a pink sweater the brand sold in 2009. To the creative director\u2019s surprise, Oi Polloi, a well-known menswear retailer in Manchester, rebranded the color \u2018men\u2019s pink\u2019. \u201cThey thought it would sell better to men that way,\u201d he says. That kind of gendered marketing has become less common in recent years, and Nying isn\u2019t drawn into the discourse surrounding it: \u201cI just think it\u2019s a beautiful color.\u201d<\/p>\n