Paul Andrew creates space for hybridized identities with his unconventional takes on the ‘work uniform.’
With their Fall/Winter 2020 collection, Salvatore Ferragamo introduces the new men of the new decade, highlighting the emerging fluidity of modern masculinity. Creative Director Paul Andrew uses fashion as a tool for experiment and expression, exploring the conceptual breadth of visual statements of manhood in the 2020s.
Reimagining sartorial elements of commonplace male archetypes including the businessman, biker, racing driver, sailor, soldier, and surfer, Andrew creates a versatile collection of refreshing takes on overdone displays. “The agenda is to retain the aesthetic of uniform while subverting the once-rigid assumptions it enforced,” Andrew explained. The modern man cannot be put into one box, rather he has a variety of intertwining qualities and has the ability to explore all facets of his identity.
Featuring biker and army-inspired boots with details referencing a 1949 archival Ferragamo shoe, Andrew’s Fall/Winter 2020 menswear collection is all about the footwear. Accessories include a lightweight adaptable group of ‘Tornabuoni’ bags, hand-woven totes with matching belts, and leather-trimmed sunglasses. Even the prints are a nod to Andrew’s talent, combining military camouflage elements with surfer palm leaves to create an offbeat, fresh spin on prototypical masculine tropes.
Tight patent leather head to toe outfits are contrasted with tropical-camo print suits and oversized knits, all simultaneously challenging uniformity. Each look defies normal categorization, creating space for hybrid styles: The leather suit, both biker and businessman, is worn under a rib-knit sweater, sailor, and features a kangaroo pocketed vest, surfer. “A man today is not obliged to assume a single, set role: he can be a multitude, and he can change his worn identity any time he wishes,” Andrew explained. “That’s a freedom we want to explore in the 2020s.”
