the reset

This collection is a menswear collection that unpicks and explores the concept of masculinity and its many faces. It aims to question the stifling masculine stereotypes, to examine the confusing messages about manhood and its impact and to rethink and reshape the social constructs of masculinity.

I explored The Warrior archetype, particularly, pre-colonial Filipino warriors for this collection, as they are the epitome of this cultural ideal of masculinity: powerful, strong, fearless, aggressive, brute. However, it as a shallow and restrictive description of manhood. Labelling all men as toxic is also a problem in itself because for some, these ideas and “rules” are already ingrained in their minds as synonymous with being a man. Consequently, it perpetuates a toxic idea, an unspoken pressure and a societal expectation that men must behave and act tough and to avoid showing emotions. But not all men are powerful, strong and stoic nor power, strength and showing emotions are only limited to one gender. Therefore, the problem is not about gender or identity. It is about what we, as a society, allow to be the definition of what it means to be a man.