Styling the Ethical Man

By Bianca Alexander

Unlike most animal species, historically, the human female has taken on the laborious and often exhilarating role of dressing flamboyantly in order to attract a mate she can depend on for protection and propagation of the species. As a result, in accordance with the law of supply and demand, fashion designers have gifted women with an entire arsenal of options for adorning and transforming themselves, from silk corsets to stilettos, ball gowns to ballet flats, kimono wrap dresses to kitten heels.

Conversely, this has left our male counterparts with a small handful of style options: for work, a suit and tie with a tailored shirt, dress shoes, and a belt; for casual days, a tee-shirt or button down with khakis or jeans, and maybe, if you’re sporty, a fresh pair of sneaks.

In today’s modern world, women are more independent, empowered and even self-sufficient, either willing or able to take the risk of thriving with neither a mate nor offspring. This challenge to traditional male-female roles has given men the freedom to evolve and model the animal kingdom, working harder to attract a mate that deems them worthy by becoming better cooks, better lovers and better dressed. Despite how alarming this may be to our existing social order, it’s good news for men’s fashion, allowing gents to step up their style game and take risks to create a more dynamic sense of self-expression.

For men looking to up the ante on their look, or ladies seeking to update the father in their life or even dress more androgynously themselves, click here for some of our favorite elements of sustainable guy style.