Professor Andrew Groves, Course Leader of the Fashion Design BA Honours course, was interviewed in an article for The Guardian about the increasing sales of heeled boots and stilettos for men.
There has been a growth of the male heel, expanding beyond the stiletto as different types of heeled shoes have been embraced by fashion, with Gucci, Maison Margiela and Saint Laurent showcasing the Chelsea, Jacquard and split toe boots as well as heeled loafers.
Professor Groves said about the rise of the male heel: “I think there is something incredibly refreshing about a male designer such as Marc Jacobs embracing wearing high heels. High heels have become a potent symbol of both power and status, and paradoxically both dominance and submission.”
It is similar to last year’s ‘yeehaw agenda’, a black-consciousness-led update of the cowboy look, to which Professor Groves said: “In Trump’s America, cowboy is such a symbolic representation of American ideals of masculinity that it has become ripe to be appropriated and subverted.”
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