Masculinities

The Museum of Fashion and Lace in Brussels hosted this very generous and exquisite exhibition about masculine fashion through the ages. Starting from the riding coats of the 15th century to the latest Belgian and International brands, the selection doesn’t exclude the questioning of patriarchal traditions. We were invited to create the communication for this almost year round show as well as the exhibition signage and visitor’s guides. 

The details of the different fabrics and fashion prints are striking and it seamed natural to put them forward in the communication. With the help of a handheld portable scanner, the delicate cloths were digitalized in high resolution. This scanning method, which is not designed for uneven surfaces, underlines an interesting paradoxical aspect of visual communication. Indeed a confrontation emerges between the three dimensional essence of clothing design, and the intrinsic flatness of images. Therefore, deformation and glitches feature in the results. Nevertheless, the recognizable parts of clothing, the details of thread patterns and the prints illustrate clearly that fashion is the subject of this museum and exhibition. 

There were so many exciting and colourful images that the communication features up to 7 different visuals, all from top notch creators such as: Belgian's prides Walter Van Beirendonck and Dries Van Noten, the French humble superstar Jean Paul Gaultier, 60s dandy John Stephen, Burburrey's Riccardo Tisci, Stromae brand Mosaert and sky-rocking brand Vetements. The title and information circlude the visual in order to give it the main stage. This framing enables a repetition of the title, with different weights of the ‘Domaine Display Condensed’ font. This typeface from the New Zealanders Klim Type Foundry has strong but also refining features which perfectly illustrate variations in masculinity.