Snoga Skirts: "Unisex" and Ready for Mass Male Adoption?

[LiuBang]

I bought this athletic, "modest" skirt. Seems as nondescript no-frills, and unisex as it gets. While marketed to women, it seems like a perfect gateway drug for an average straight guy like me. Wore it around San Diego Comic-Con and a Security Guard saw my skirt and still called me "Sir." No one was acting weirdly or even making any remarks because of my skirt.

https://snogaathletics.com/products/tra ... avy-blazer

[Damon]

If they just provided the waist measurements instead of that 'Find your size ' nonsense they want you to go through.

[Mouse]

Thank you LiuBang. I always like it when members introduce us to interesting clothes.

Perusing the site, I discovered that they sell skirts with leggings attached...I have seen short skirts with shorts attached, but not the longer form. Turns out from delving a bit further, that the skirt with leggings attached is the reason the brand exists, since the designer/owner Candice Safdieh

frequently saw women wearing legging and skirt combos that were mismatched and just plain sloppy looking.

As LiuBang mentioned, the site is going for a "modest", Nothing above the knee and no shoulders.

I just wondered about, do leggings wear out quicker than a skirt? I feel I have had skirts a long time and leggings come and go? Also never thought I had to match my legs to my skirt?

Any way interesting look, Thanks.

[Bertino56]

The snoga skirt has been seen here previously.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60094976262487731/
snogaathletics.com
It's originally intended for "modest wear" for athletic or daily wear,
especially among the very religious.

[LiuBang]

Perusing the site, I discovered that they sell skirts with leggings attached..

Yes, but I got their Travel skirt which has no leggings, no shorts attached. It's made of legging material and the 22" length falls to the bottom of the knee. And it has pockets!

It looks just as masculine as a pair of shorts, and blends in very well with the Average Joe's wardrobe of T-shirt and sneakers, should be very palatable to men if they actually made a version sized for men.

[Faldaguy]

Thank you LiuBang. I always like it when members introduce us to interesting clothes.

Perusing the site, I discovered that they sell skirts with leggings attached...

I just wondered about, do leggings wear out quicker than a skirt? I feel I have had skirts a long time and leggings come and go? Also never thought I had to match my legs to my skirt?

Not my first choice of garments, but blending the fabric and color does look well put together -- so If you like the look and leggings, I'd think it would be easy enough to cut leggings out if you get a serious run in them.... We won't tell....

[Bee Guy]

Nice looking skirt. And it has pockets. But like Damon, I don't care for the "Find your size" function. A lot of the inputs are subjective (e.g., roundness of your rump and abdomen), which can lead to an erroneous result. I tried it, and it recommended a skirt one size smaller than I normally purchase. So I'm reluctant to move forward with a purchase.

Ed

[STEVIE]

Not bad, but "mass male adoption"?
I'm curious Liu Bang, what makes you use this very optimistic assertion?
There is nothing in the sales pitch that suggests that they have men in mind, indeed the "modesty" angle indicates very differently I'm afraid.
What's more a female buying a garment on modesty based criteria is not likely to relish the likelihood of encountering a guy in an outfit matching her own.
As for "unisex", every skirt is anyway, so good try!
Steve

[Coder]

As for "unisex", every skirt is anyway, so good try!
Steve

Reminds me of the saying, "Every mushroom is edible, at least once".

[Barleymower]

I read this morning that sales of men's skirts are up 229%.
That's just the Thom Browne / utility kilt skirt type market.
It's doesn't take account of men who are buying "women's" skirts because they like a skirt with a bit of colour and design.

Add to that my wife saw a man walking through town in a skirt. He was a rocker and was wearing a hankie hem skirt.

[Stevej180]

Where did you read that BM... can you post a link?

[Barleymower]

https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-tr ... 236474996/

Steve, It's behind a paywall (I used 12ftio) so here is a cut and paste of the text:


Fashion
Fashion Trends
Emerging Brands Are Giving Men’s Skirts an Air of Machismo Gorpcore and Utility Influences
It's an "interesting shift" that fits the momentum of genderless dressing.


By
Ari Stark
Plus Icon
July 3, 2024, 4:11pm

Russell Westbrook in a skirt by Thom Browne and a look from Tolo's Spring 2024 menswear collection.
Russell Westbrook in a skirt by Thom Browne and a look from Tolo's Spring 2024 menswear collection.Courtesy
Menswear might be embracing softer airs, but ironically the skirts are toughening up.

It’s safe to say guys wearing them entered the mainstream fashion consciousness on actors and athletes like Danny Levy, Pete Davidson and Russell Westbrook, all of whom worked their calves for the cameras in Thom Browne’s preppy knife-pleated pencils.

While Browne certainly didn’t invent the male skirt (notable pioneers include Jean Paul Gaultier, Malcolm McLaren and Rei Kawakubo) his role in catapulting it to the major trend it is today is undeniable. And it’s only gaining traction. According to data from fashion search engine Tag-Walk, skirts or skirt-adjacent items — be them skorts, smocks, wraps or waist-aprons — were up 229 percent on the spring menswear runways compared to last fall.

But as the tailored office skirt grows less taboo, emerging designers are catering toward a different kind of working man with gorpcore and utilitarian accents that fit blue-collar needs.

Federico Barassi, vice president of menswear buying for online retailer Ssense, called it an “an interesting shift” in this still niche category, but one that fits with where his 18-to-34-year-old customer is at given the momentum of genderless dressing.

“A preppy, easy-to-wear skirt is a great place to start,” he said, “but once a customer gets more comfortable with the idea, the natural next step might be to try some more eye-catching or rugged styles.”

By refashioning the ever-popular cargo pant into skirts, many designers lent a newfound air of machismo to the traditionally feminine silhouette. Cargo skirts were seen at Hed Mayner where patch pockets bulked up knee-length versions in denim, while floor-grazing ones at Bluemarble came printed in camouflage. For his Pitti Uomo debut, Florentine designer Francesco Tolotta chose yellow and red for two trumpet-shaped versions.

The colors, he said, “remind me of trucks, cranes, and everything industrial.” Accessorized with tin can bags, Tolotta nodded to the humble painting profession.

Cargo skirts in equally traffic-stopping shades of blue and purple stomped the runway at Simon Cracker. With Neolithic-looking drapes held up by adjustable draw cords and unfinished hems, codesigners Simone Botte and Filippo Biraghi referred to them as “gladiator” skirts in homage to ancient Roman warriors who donned loincloths for agility.

Skirt wearers themselves, Botte and Biraghi feel the appeal for men today is the same. “From a biological point of view, [skirts] paradoxically seem more attuned to the male body because of the absence of crotch seams,” they said. “It’s a sort of empowering and liberating act.”

Meanwhile, Anna Grassi, the self proclaimed “factory girl” behind streetwear label Gr10k, views skirts as a form protecting the nether region, rather than freeing it. “When we design skirts we really treat them as the most utilitarian system of sheltering the lower part of the body,” she said. Taking inspiration from her family’s legacy as workwear producers, Grassi adapted her designs from the foundry aprons used by skilled tradesmen in metal-smithing or woodworking. She added contrasting side-zips and seat belt-style waist-fastenings for a technical-looking outdoorsy finish.

Grassi showed her skirts layered over pants (popular among the street-style set this season). But Arthur Robert has been selling a “twofer” waist apron with the pants attached since launching his brand Ouest in 2022. “They are essentially carpenter jeans, with a wide fit and a kilt-pleated panel, a super masculine staple in sturdy denim, slightly twisted,” the Paris-based designer explained.

While Robert said they are “a hot seller” for his direct-to-consumer business, retailers overall aren’t totally sold on the idea of male-specific skirts. In a 2023 WWD survey, many were unsure of the commercial viability, viewing them as more as a gimmick. “It was used mainly as a runway statement,” said Alice Feillard, men’s buying director at Galeries Lafayette, a Ouest stockist.

“From a cultural and societal perspective, skirts are a reflection of the times we’re living in,” he said. “Over the past several years, data from our clients’ shopping behaviors and interests indicate that many are already shopping from both sides, going from womenswear to menswear and vice versa across different types of products.”

Asked whether there’s room to grow Ssense’s assortment of skirts for men, which currently includes options from Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten and Comme des Garçons, Barassi offered: “The short answer is: yes . . . if we see some skirts in a showroom that would resonate with our customer, we will consider [it].”

Perhaps these ones will make the cut.

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[LiuBang]

Not bad, but "mass male adoption"?
I'm curious Liu Bang, what makes you use this very optimistic assertion?
There is nothing in the sales pitch that suggests that they have men in mind, indeed the "modesty" angle indicates very differently I'm afraid.
What's more a female buying a garment on modesty based criteria is not likely to relish the likelihood of encountering a guy in an outfit matching her own.
As for "unisex", every skirt is anyway, so good try!
Steve

The skirt looks like the Fiji men's sulu. Like Fijian men's sulu, the skirt is plain, staid, and has pockets. Plain and staid skirts will have an easier time making it into menswear than frilly, flamboyant skirts because menswear is plain and staid.

[STEVIE]

The skirt looks like the Fiji men's sulu. Like Fijian men's sulu, the skirt is plain, staid, and has pockets. Plain and staid skirts will have an easier time making it into menswear than frilly, flamboyant skirts because menswear is plain and staid.

The Sulu is primarily a male garment, made for and marketed to men, it is even conservative, dare I say modest in style.
Funny then, that it hasn't been adopted in the west as an acceptable skirt for guys, it isn't even in the same commercial league as the Scottish Kilt.
Fact is most western men just don't want to wear skirts or are simply not allowed to.
As I said "nice try", it's just not going to happen anytime soon.
Steve.

[mishawakaskirt]

Looks like a decent skirt. Prices are a bit on the high side.

MPG or Mondetta makes a athletic ish travel skirt.and also some dresses, shorts and skorts. Search eBay, you will find them all over the place. I have two of the travel skirts, one in the Navy blue ish. And one in the grey. If you shop around you probably can easily get a brand new one for under 30 including shipping. Love my skirts. Decent pockets on the mondetta travel skirts.