What Women Bring to Menswear Design
From Marni to Hermès, women are stepping into menswear’s top roles, bringing a new perspective to the craft.
Published on Jun 12, 2026
Amid the constant reshuffling of creative directors across major fashion houses, women designing menswear have emerged as one of the industry's more notable developments.
Enter Grace Wales Bonner, the new director of menswear at Hermes, who is anticipated to drop her debut collection in January 2027. It’s the first European luxury brand to name a woman (of color) to lead its menswear. In the same spirit, Under Armour has collaborated with French fashion designer Marine Serre to create a capsule collection (performance and luxury altogether) to celebrate its 30th anniversary this June.
A fresh era has also begun at Marni with Meryll Rogge at the helm of its Fall 2026 launch. She is the label’s third creative director but the first female since its founder Consuelo Castiglioni exited a decade ago. Rogge sent out male models in eclectic layering of performance jackets and knitwear. Many of the clothes were inspired by the ’90s, executed in boxy three-button blazers. Her tailoring was styled with studded carved metal buttons on technical sportswear, either in satin or thick wool.
Journalist Alex Kessler who covered the show commented in a note, “The menswear might need more time to develop. Still, as a debut, there’s real promise, and it’s powerful to see a woman at the helm [of Marni], stepping into that legacy and beginning to shape it in her own voice.”
For Peewee Senining, faculty at the School of Architecture, Fine Arts, and Design at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, it’s really just a matter of time. “Give these women the space they deserve. Their ideas might just be the fresh perspective menswear needs,” he told Esquire Philippines.
Among the subjects Senining teaches are Period Fashion, Philippine Fashion, and Fashion Design. In his class, he observed that female students have more personal references, saying, “They go through the same struggles and breakthroughs with the boys when learning menswear. But I’ll admit the girls have surprised me many times. Their outputs, especially in fashion illustration for menswear, impressed me tremendously, so I now disregard whatever stereotypes I had about women designing menswear.”
Senining also named Serre as his favorite designer and recalled her Fall 2019-2020 men’s line for her eponymous label. He described it as “dystopian, post-apocalypse vision” and “the kind of creativity that doesn’t beg for approval.”
“Menswear is the ultimate test of skill. If you can cut, shape, and construct a perfect men’s jacket, you’ve earned the right to call yourself a good tailor. It’s a craft that takes time, and there are no shortcuts. This level of craftsmanship demands discipline, patience, and years of practice,” he said.
He adds that menswear’s biggest challenge is mastering true tailoring: the kind of razor-sharp precision taught in British schools and honed through the Savile Row tradition, where Alexander McQueen himself trained.
There’s something great about the Brits, indeed. Since British designer Clare Waight Keller gained full creative power over Uniqlo, the Japanese mass market brand was never the same again. She developed a sub-label called “C:” that incorporates precise tailoring—a nod to her previous employment at Givenchy—with easy-to-wear closet essentials such as neoprene sweaters and barrel jeans (fitted at the waist, flare out in the mid-thigh, and then taper slightly back to the ankle). For her latest menswear creations, bank on softer tailored jackets and “interesting oversized shapes.”
Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta’s new designer Louise Trotter has set a different direction compared to her predecessor Matthieu Blazy who now leads Chanel. Trotter’s curtain raiser introduced the tone for Spring 2026: a navy peacoat, featuring sporadic “Intrecciato” weaving (the brand’s signature material manipulation) seen at the collar. This season, she has designed for men and women using the same technical rigor, evident in the garments that move along with the body.
Former Veneta design director Edward Buchanan, who noticed it at Trotter’s maiden show, wrote, “My head was spinning back and forth trying to catch all of the intricate details flying past. A woman designer’s perspective really hits different. There was a nice, somehow-continuation of Bottega Veneta’s past, but Louise’s stamp was also omnipresent and tangible.”
In the local scene, Viña Romero has embraced menswear for her eponymous label even more. Among her remarkable creations are the “Emilio” top, which is a short-sleeved button-down barong paired with pin-tucked double pleated trousers and the “Lucho” shirt, made by sewing broomstick pleats with vented back yoke.
“For the longest time, I have been really inspired by menswear. I like wearing menswear pieces also,” she said, recalling how she started dressing up the male market. In fact, there’s a whole division dedicated for them at her store at the Filipino Zone in Greenbelt 5 in Makati City. “Before, I didn’t like designing for men, but we felt there was a need. We just tried it—‘fake it until you make it.’ Nagulat na lang kami na maraming guys na nagsusuot ng menswear namin.”
From an instructor’s point of view, Senining agreed that Romero’s approach in discovering style could be highly effective. “I still struggle teaching some of those techniques,” he said, indicating that the principle of good design stands on the process. “Any ‘mistake’ in menswear can actually be groundbreaking,” he said. This also includes the perennial cycle of employing designers to take over important roles. Thus, we are watching closely how these female-led brands would evolve in the future.
“Fashion has never belonged to just one type of person. The women who do break through bring a different kind of force. Their presence may not be massive, but their influence is undeniable,” he concluded.