# Mankinis on the Catwalk Alexander McQueen's Borat Inspiration By mediterranean | Published 2008-06-28 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alexander-mcqueen-mankini References: [news.au](http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,23912966-5007192,00.html) Who would have thought that Borat's infamous man-bikini would influence high fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen? The British designer debuted his version of the [skimpy one-piece swimsuit](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tom-daley-and-malibu) during his recent runway show at Milan Fashion Week. McQueen's swimsuit is a bit toned down from the original *mankini* which made its debut in the movie *Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan*, in 2006. I really hope this trend doesn't catch on, or the beaches could become hazardous to our eyes... McQueen isn't the only one to fall under the mankini's spell. Earlier this year, singer John Mayer couldn't resist putting Borat's mankini on during a cruise. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.1/10 - Popularity: 94% | Activity: 82% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Mankini-inspired Fashion:** The rise of mankini-inspired fashion in high-end designer collections creates an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the fashion industry. - **Movie-inspired Fashion:** Designers drawing inspiration from iconic movies creates a trend in the fashion industry and opens up opportunities for more collaborations between the fashion and entertainment industries. - **Unisex Swimwear:** The trend towards unisex swimwear, exemplified by the mankini, creates an opportunity for designers to take genderless fashion to new heights. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fashion:** The fashion industry has the opportunity to capitalize on the trend of mankini-inspired, unisex swimwear and create more genderless fashion items. - **Entertainment:** Designers can collaborate with the entertainment industry to produce fashion lines inspired by iconic movies, opening up new possibilities for collaborations. - **Tourism:** Mankini-inspired fashion products or experiences can be developed to attract tourists who want to channel their inner Borat wannabe. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Inflatable Dome Fashion Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inflatable-dome-fashion-show.md) - [Underwear-Imitating Hybrid Garments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cut-off-brief-skirt.md) - [Athlete Swimwear Knit Fusion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tom-daley-swimwear.md) - [Limited-Edition Swim Trunks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mack-weldon-x-bather.md) - [New Year-Inspired Fashion Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2025-lunar-new-year-campaign.md) - [Men's Summer Swimwear Capsules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vilebrequin-x-joel-mesler.md) - [Evolutionary Menswear Fashion Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ss-daley-1.md) - [Celebrity Swimwear Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swim-line.md) - [Body Artwork-Inspired Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/body-tattoo.md)