ONSTAGE
MASC 2021
AMERICAN CREW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, AS WE HAVE ENTERED A NEW DECADE, NEW PERCEPTIONS OF MASCULINITY HAVE COME TO THE FORE. WITH A NIGHT THAT EXPLORED MODERN MASCULINITY, AMERICAN CREW PRESENTED MASC 2021, WRITES CAMERON PINE.
O Gary McKenzie, Carla Bond, Shayne Tino, Stephanie Pfalzgraf, Colin Allingham
26 INSTYLE
pening the mind about what it means to be a man, Melbourne’s Men+Co Barber Shop was the ultimate collaborate space for a night that broke down the walls of discussion and celebrated the freedom and individuality we are breaking down as men in 2021 and 2022. On Monday November 29, the intimate event of approximately 30 guests – key influencers, panellists and industry personnel – made for eclectic conversations of old and new values but most importantly a mutual understanding of the need to be authentic in a new era of male grooming. While intimate and highly personal, the platform of MASC allowed guests to have true conversations with all other guests but, through the powers of digital, also opened it up to the wider industry. American Crew Australia Instagram followers were afforded the invaluable opportunity to join the panel discussion from 8:30pm via @americancrewoz. Art and digital installations added to the ambiance of creativity and freedom of the night where both the ideas around societal boundaries and intimacy were palpable. Despite varying opinions across the globe and a common default back to traditional values of what being a man means, the event celebrated the fact that we no longer are perceived as less masculine if we dress more feminine. We are finally acknowledging just how long we’ve allowed stereotypes to outweigh celebrating true expression and individuality, and a global movement is already imminent. American Crew as a global brand has, for the last few years, begun their journey to change this perception of the modern man through not just the aesthetic but also the conversations we are having with men and the type of men they are engaging with their brand. Where once you’d never see long hair and feminine silhouettes grace the screens or pages of American Crew editorials,
