One Sunday Afternoon, I found myself in one of the prestigious gentlemen’s clubs on Pall Mall Street in London. On the main level, men were dressed in suits and sweater vests, but as I was guided downstairs, I was met with a room full of men sat in their underwear staring back at me. It left me wondering, what really goes on behind closed doors? Masculinity is often defined by strength, power, and control, but beneath this facade lies something deeper, submission. The softer, more subtle side of masculinity isn’t always visible, yet it exists in hidden details or beneath the surface. What is this gentleman hiding under his collar? Is it the remnants of his secret life, clashing with his classic, heteronormative facade? This idea of revealing hidden layers continuously inspires my work like cracks in the archetypes of masculine men. It fascinates me when something so outwardly masculine becomes unintentionally homoerotic. With every design, I challenge traditional menswear in the Western world through subtle gay semiotics. I focus on the most masculine features of the male body: pecs, shoulders, buttocks, crotch, and v-lines, drawing attention to them without the viewer even realizing it. From homoerotic-inspired zippers on tailored trousers to fetish-esque leather pockets and ribbed knits hugging the waist and courting the body, my designs subtly guide the viewer’s gaze, giving me a certain power over the traditional archetypes of masculinity that these men are so used to holding. By pushing boundaries in a subversive way, I aim to redefine masculinity and create a space where men can evolve and express themselves freely, without the constraints of tradition.