Dressing in pink is a classic male; and history does not lie.

Talking about the meaning of colors is an extensive theme that goes hand in hand with history. Society, over time, is responsible for making color; to define it, give it a label and give it a meaning. Speaking specifically about the color pink is navigating in an ambiguity. Reviewing the oldest yearbooks of men’s clothing, we travel to the Europe of the XXIII century, where the aristocracy and high social and political spheres of the time were draped in pink as a symbol of authority. Later, after the growth of capitalism and industrial revolutions, the rose went from being exclusive to becoming popular, although with some changes in chromatic intensity.

Photo: Getty Images

The trip of the color pink, of course, has to make a mandatory stop at the time of the birth of the label “pink for a girl” and “blue for a child”. What is most surprising, without a doubt, is the relatively recent phenomenon. By the mid-20s, some clothing manufacturers used both shades to separate the pieces of the patterns for women and men; action that allowed, years later, to divide by gender the clothes of the baby boomers. This rose that saw the light and remained low profile in the war years during World War II, was far from the favorite of the European monarchy. By the end of the 40s, perhaps because of the scarcity of inputs in the textile industry, the “Oxford Pink” appeared; that would become, in a short time, the favorite of the classic gentleman.

Photo: Paul Bergen – David Byrne in 1997

By the mid-70s, in full effervescence of the punk movement in England, the return of the “vibrant” rose joined the social anarchy to proclaim itself as a provocative color. Bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones and the English designer Vivienne Westwood made use of the nuance to create advertisements, vinyl covers and garments as an artistic expression of the punk culture. Today, almost 50 years after the exhibition and the birth of an inheritance for the whole world, the pink color has been transformed again. This time, as a symbol of inclusion and as the antithesis of the “exclusive pink for women”.

Photo: Billboard – Harry Styles

Since 2016, when Pantone proposed the tone “Rose Quartz” as the color of the year, the pale pink has acquired an unprecedented prominence. By 2017, almost all luxury brands and fast fashion chains had already embraced the rose as a standard for a new digital culture, without labels and open to change. Reason that gave the title of “Millennial Pink” or a shade of pink that could have stayed in “Rose Quartz”.

Photo: Especial

From that date and thanks to an increasingly inclusive, tolerant and open to change society, the Millennial Pink became the obsession of all creative sectors. In the field of fashion, back to 2016, Gucci -which had just opened to Alessandro Michele as Creative Director- presented seemingly genderless garments, with a casting of models totally different to those built in recent years and making use of the new rose as a vehicle in the construction of the new identity of the Italian brand.

Photo: InDigital – Dior SS19

It is already 2019 and the rose has conquered all the masculine sectors. For SS19, there is no signature that does not include, at least one look, with the power, voice and social and cultural coherence that the color pink represents.