In this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, Jill Manoff sits down with Tommy Ton to discuss his transition from street style photographer to artistic director of fashion brand Deveaux, the evolution of men’s style and the importance of inclusivity on the runway. Edited highlights below.
What’s inspiring men’s fashion:
“Men tend to be a bit more fashion conscious now, starting even at the early age of 12. It’s crazy how kids now, because of social media, view fashion as a form of self-expression and, in some ways, validation. They listen to rap and hip-hop, and they look at those guys and how they — I don’t want to say flaunt, but they love to dress up and spend a lot of money on clothes. So that’s fully extending to today’s youth, where they love buying brands like Supreme or, if they can beg their parents for money to buy it, Gucci or Balenciaga, right?”
Inclusivity, but because it’s smart:
“I’m always inspired by women at different ages. If doesn’t matter if you’re 70 or 17; it’s how someone wears the clothes. So that’s why we felt, with our [NYFW] presentation, that it made sense to have a very inclusive cast. There are people who sprinkle in a few models of different sizes and ages, but for us, it makes sense that our cast is very varied and inspiring. Particularly with this show, it was important to showcase diversity on a different scale, whether it was [via] women of color or women of different ages — just to make it feel like what fashion is, the state of fashion. Things have changed, and we’re trying to be more inclusive — not just for the sake of it, but because it makes more sense.”
Seasonal means local:
“Something I learned really early on is, when we see fall/winter clothes, we’re thinking heavy coats and lots of knits. And when clients from Asia shop, they’re thinking, ‘This is really too heavy for us. We can’t buy this because our climate’s completely different.’ You have to keep in mind that the world is very seasonless and transitional, and you have to always think of your customer as a global woman. She can’t necessarily always be bundled up in a heavy coat. So we have to divide the collection accordingly.”
