Fashioning masculinities: critical reflections on curation and future directions in masculinity studies

Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear at the V&A museum in London (19March 2022 - 6 November 2022) marked a significant curatorial and cultural moment.Curated by Claire Wilcox, Rosalind McKever and Marta Franceschini, the exhibitionexplored the shifting landscape of menswear by focusing on the intersections among fashion,art, time and gender. This article critically reflects on the curation of the FashioningMasculinities exhibition and the accompanying two-day symposium (13-14 October 2022)co-convened by the V&A and the Masculinities Research Hub at London College of Fashion(UAL). It argues for the need for interdisciplinary research and curation on menswear andmasculinity studies to explore a plurality of intersectional identities. Additionally, this articleargues for the importance of engaging diverse audiences across the sector with rich stories ofmaking, wearing and fashioning identities. There remains considerable scope to move beyonda focus upon historical dress and luxury designer items, to include the often invisible anduntold narratives of ordinary and everyday dress.