While the rise of a softer and perhaps also more feminine picture in men’s fashion was observed a few seasons ago, there are now clear currents that turn to the traditional image of masculinity. This emerges from the trend seminar for the autumn/winter season 2026, presented by trend researcher Edwin van den Hoek.
For example, think of the focus on fitness and muscular body, tattoos, but also survival in nature. This re -turn to traditional ideals of masculinity has several causes. One of them is the so -called manosphere, which, especially on social media, reaches many men. The manosphere sees itself as a strong opposition to feminism. She takes the view that women are wrongly enjoyed advantages and men are disadvantaged.
In addition, this movement is strengthened by the fact that American President Donald Trump only recognizes the genders man and woman. He intends to banish a variety of terms from everyday language use – including words such as feminism, transgender, asexual, discrimination, diversity and many others.
Although this movement strongly influences the trends in men’s fashion, fortunately there are also lighter and colorful currents. Van den Hoek divides his forecast into four subject areas.
Men’s fashion trends HW26: The changing face of masculinity according to Edwin van den Hoek
HW26 men’s fashion trend: Competitive
The word Competitativeso competitive, has twice the meaning for FW26. On the one hand, there is the robotic competition, says van den Hoek. Thanks to the technological progress, more and more is possible in the design area. This creates new forms of design, for example by 3D printing or 3D knitting of articles. Shoes from Oxman are shown during the presentation, but also by Taware Kicks. Oxman’s shoes are made on the basis of polymers that are obtained from bacteria, and the end product is completely biodegradable.
The other side of the medal of Competitative is the attention for motorsport, which has also increased in recent years. There were therefore many forms of motorsport and Fomel 1 references as well as motorcycling on the catwalk. Not only that, different brands were collected with traditional F1 brands. For example, think of Reiss with McLaren and Louis Vuitton with Formula 1 in general. The cinema release of a film about Formula 1 with, among others, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem this year also contributes to the momentum of the style.
HW26 men’s fashion trend: isolated
The second topic that Van den Hoek appeals to during the seminar in Amsterdam is called Isolated. It is about a return to nature. This can be seen, for example, in the area of survival, in which traditional equipment has received a modern upgrade. Think about the pants 2.0 or a poncho by Nike ISPA, which can be folded out into a tent. The looks that can be seen frequently in this context are characterized by many pockets, cord lying and cords.
Back to nature also means a return to natural materials and patterns. For example, (art) fur and hairy materials can be seen on the catwalks of Dior and Todd Snyder. New forms of camouflage – not the classic army pattern, but rather sprenical elements – also fit on this topic.
HW26 men’s fashion trend: Revived
In recent years, the revival of materials, patterns and historical looks has hardly been over. In the topic Revived Various retro elements are examined in more detail. For example, think of the different variants of the caroma pattern, but also of stripes. These traditional patterns are reinterpreted and get a changed execution – for example through blurring, size variation or a playful game with proportions.
Another element that also experiences a comeback is the suit. At the beginning of the pandemic, van den Hoek feared the end of the custom suit, but the younger generation contributed to his revival. This is no longer the strongly structured suit, but a lighter, more fluid variant.
HW26 men’s fashion trend: dramatic
The love of history is in the topic Dramatic Fort. Historical looks such as blouses with ruffles or neckers get a modern charisma. This topic is also about opulent clothing and the use of accessories. Mixed the decorated fabrics, jacquards and flower patterns.
“This is about expressing luxury. Not subtle, but correctly ‘in your face’,” said van den Hoek. A good example of this was the latest Met Gala in May 2025. The topic for the well -known New York benefit gala was ‘Black Dandyism’. Various guests took the dress code seriously and missed jewels, luxurious fabrics, corsages and pearls.
The seminar started with a rather dark tone, because van den Hoek could not exclude the global events. Nevertheless, the forecast for autumn/winter 2026 contains many bright spots and playful elements. The ‘Manosphere’, a loose network of blogs, forums and social media channels, in which men in particular exchange ideas and often represent anti-feminist attitudes, is becoming increasingly influenced. Despite this rapid rise, van den Hoek hopes that the softer and feminine side of masculinity is not lost.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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