Introduction
Fashion and Art have always played a pivotal, albeit covert role in the advancement of each other. As new trends and fashions have evolved, so has the ability of art to express and manifest itself in different forms.
An ancient form of art that is still relevant and continues to develop is body art. With a history of thousands of years, evolving from a random cultural convention seen across different parts of the world to a more nuanced form of art, as is seen today.
It has become an integral part of men’s fashion choices, especially in the contemporary world. From streetwear to high-end fashion runways, body art has become an essential part of men’s fashion.
This trend is a culmination of many prominent factors that we will be discussing today.
The Ascent of Body Art
Body Art has maintained a rich presence in the form of tattoos, body painting, and even piercings spanning across different cultures and continents throughout the history of mankind.
The relationship between art and fashion is complicated. While certain aspects of body art were considered taboo in many cultures, the contemporary world has made body art a mainstream fashion choice for men. From tattoos to piercings, body art is considered to be a part of man’s masculinity.
This is fascinating because certain forms of body art, for example an ear piercing, was considered to be a womanly thing in many cultures. However, the modern man is often seen donning a pair of clickers or a septum piercing often.
Self Expression and Individualism
While the societal expectations toward body art has shifted in a favourable direction, so has its assimilation into the fashion industry. While body art is certainly a fashion statement for men now, it’s so much more than that.
At the heart of it, body art is a form of self expression for many individuals. Adorning one’s body with an irremovable piece of body art is a bold choice to make, but it also offers men the opportunity to express themselves unabashedly.
In a world where fashion trends change faster than the seasons, having a permanent memory in the form of body art offers an opportunity to convey one’s personal style.
Whether it be a meaningful tattoo or a face piercing, body art gives men the opportunity to express their personality and preferences in a visually appealing manner.
An Expression of Creativity
One’s body can be thought of as a canvas on which they create memories of a lifetime. It is a medium to express one’s creativity through art that lives and breathes as they do.
Men may often look at it as an opportunity to bring their creative visuals to life. Whether it’s a minimalist design tattooed on someone’s wrist, or a sleeve of tattoos making their way across a man’s body, each one of them offers men a creative fashion choice that is liberating and meaningful to them.
Influential Presence of Body Art on Fashion Runways
While considered streetwear for the most part, body art has found itself enveloping more exclusive fashion ramps as well. Today many famous fashion designers love to take inspiration from body art in the form of tattoos and piercings as they create luxurious attires with a hint of embroidery and graphics.
Even the men who model these designs are found adorning tattoos, piercings, and body paints, temporary or otherwise. It seems that body art has been promoted from its street status to a runway model for the twenty-first century man.
Streetwear Culture
While we love the newly earned advancement of body art to the runways, it’s important to understand its implication on streetwear and multiple cultures around the world.
In the realm of streetwear, body art has a quintessential role to play. Many communities relate to the body motifs and tattoos and see them as an extended embodiment of their historic culture.
The brands who serve these communities often allocate a part of their clothing creativity keeping in mind the semblance to the ethnic communities that they serve.
Not only do their clothes respect but also compliment the body art of people who wear these clothes making them culturally conscious and a top choice for many men who embrace their natural style and fashion choices.
The Cusp
Fashion and Art have always been intertwined and will continue to be so. Body art has evolved from a cultural choice to a fashion statement in today’s world as it gives men a chance to express their individuality and creativity with different styles of body art like tattoos, piercings, and body paint.
Even the high-end fashion platforms have understood the importance of body art in contemporary fashion and continue to incorporate it into their fashion designs. This shows that body art has had a strong influence on modern men’s fashion choices and that it’s here to stay for the long haul.
