The concept of ‘masculinity’ has clearly been evolving. What it means to be a man during the time of our fathers and grandfathers, differ from our lived experiences now, where society is increasingly more accepting of blurring gender lines. It’s become apparent in the way we dress, how we convey our emotions and thoughts, as well as our attitudes towards an age-old patriarchal system.
Bottega Veneta explores this ever-changing definition of ‘masculinity’ in a recently released short film. Bottega Veneta: Men is a partnership between creative director Daniel Lee and London-based photographer and filmmaker Tyrone Lebon. Featured throughout the eight-minute film is a diverse cast of creatives: actor Barry Keoghan, film director Dick Jewell, painter George Rouy, dancer and choreographer Michael Clark, musician Obongjayar, rapper Octavian, Italian dancer Roberto Bolle, Roman, record producer Tricky, as well as Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry (below).
In a series of vignettes (while dressing and undressing in Bottega Veneta), each creative talks about what masculinity means to them as an individual and how it has shaped them. There are also talks about how style and fashion relate to their idea of a man and coming into one’s own identity. As Obongjayar puts it rather simply: “You might not have the balls to put on a pair of fucking kiwi boots, but I think it’s fucking sick! That’s what you represent, and that’s your thing.”
But the highlight is definitely towards the end where a young man, Roman, dressed in a clearly oversized Bottega Veneta suit, expresses his input about gender. It’s a purely innocent point of view and one that perhaps, is reflective of a younger generation that pays no mind to gendered social constructs.
Watch ‘Bottega Veneta: Men’, a short film by Bottega Veneta, above.
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