One look at the styles that were paraded down the Thom Browne Fall 2012 catwalk and you’ll most likely shake your head in disbelief that this designer is the very same man who started designing at Club Monaco, and then later at Brooks Brothers. While the pieces from the Thom Browne Fall 2012 show might feature the same preppiness—plaid prints, stripes and the like—as the two menswear brands, the similarities more or less stop there.
Referred to as the “American fashion prankster” by Women’s Wear Daily, Thom Browne released a series of punk-meets-rugby looks, including bulky blazers with shoulder pads for days, rugby-style headpieces and bizarre spiked masks. Other strange-but-true outfits included shrunken and cropped turtlenecks and shirts, as well as kilts and puppy-printed blazers. Some of the looks even featured merkins—which is a wig for your, er, nether regions.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Punk-meets-rugby Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a fashion line that combines punk aesthetics with rugby-inspired elements, such as bulky blazers with shoulder pads and rugby-style headpieces.
- Bizarre Spiked Masks
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a line of avant-garde accessories that incorporate spiked masks, pushing boundaries in the fashion industry.
- Merkins as a Fashion Statement
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce merkins as a trendy and bold accessory in fashion, exploring the concept of unconventional and customizable clothing.
Where This Applies
- Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new possibilities in menswear by incorporating creative and unconventional designs that challenge traditional fashion norms.
- Accessories
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Push the boundaries of accessory design by creating avant-garde pieces like spiked masks that make a bold fashion statement.
- Personal Care
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate the concept of merkins into the personal care industry, providing customizable and unconventional options for self-expression.
