Professor Andrew Groves

Director, Westminster Menswear Archive | Menswear Consultant | Brand, Archive and Cultural Strategy

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

The new Dior show didn’t open with glamour; it opened like a warning.
I’ve written about how Dior became a horror story about itself.

Read Do You Horror Behind the Gilded Doors on Substack:
👉 https://t.co/ugKxXWQ57s

#Dior #AdamCurtis #FashionCriticism #Couture #FashionHistory

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Why Vince Garments Are So Rare - and So Important

These swim briefs by Vince Green, now on display in the Splash! exhibition at the Design Museum, offer a rare glimpse into a pivotal moment in British menswear.

Originally a photographer for postwar physique magazines, Bill ‘Vince’ Green began selling continental-style swim briefs through classified ads in the Daily Mirror in the early 1950s. In 1954, he opened Vince Man’s Shop in Soho, widely regarded as London’s first dedicated menswear boutique.

Over the past 8 years, we’ve been actively collecting garments from the shop for the Westminster Menswear Archive. But they remain incredibly hard to find. Few have survived, and even fewer are publicly accessible. Yet their influence is undeniable.

Green’s imagery carried a distinctly homoerotic charge, shaped by his background in physique photography and resonating strongly with a gay clientele. His swimwear shared that sensibility, cut high, made from clinging towelling, or boldly patterned. What made his work so radical, however, was his ability to translate that aesthetic into the mainstream. Vince normalised a body-conscious masculinity that was modern, aspirational, and unashamedly visible.

His designs helped shape what would later become the Carnaby Street look, years before that scene emerged. In doing so, he not only challenged ideas of how British men should dress, but also who they were allowed to be.

Images:
– Vince Man’s Shop swimwear display, Splash! Design Museum
– Hawaiian print towelling trunks, 1968. Vince Green. Westminster Menswear Archive
– Striped swim shorts, 1968. Vince Green. Westminster Menswear Archive
– Men’s Beach Shorts, 1960s. Vince Green. The Textiles & Dress Collection at Falmouth University

#menswear #archivemenswear #1960sstyle #britishmenswear #carnabystreet #designmuseum #vintagemenswear #swimwearhistory #vincemanshop #fashionarchive #exhibitionloan #splashdesignmuseum #physiquemagazines #mensweararchive

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Before the Internet, This Was How Gay Men Found Style, and Themselves

In 1968, Vince Man’s Shop in Soho offered a pair of boldly striped swim trunks called ‘Pearl Divers', designed “for swimming or walking,” made from stretch fabric with a nylon zip, and advertised for their snug fit. Price: 42 shillings.

But here’s what really mattered:
You didn’t have to live in London to buy them.
You just had to send off a letter.

Vince Man’s Shop (1954–1969) was based in Soho, but its influence travelled across Britain. Through its bold, image-filled mail-order catalogues, Vince offered men, especially gay men outside of major cities, access to a new kind of menswear: tight, tailored, and body-conscious.

Filled with shirtless models in stretch briefs and snug shorts, these catalogues gave visibility to a new vision of masculinity: confident, coded, and queer. For many, it was the first time fashion had reflected their identity, available by post, no questions asked.

This 1968 pair of trunks, now part of the Westminster Menswear Archive, features in the Design Museum’s new exhibition Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style (28 March – 17 August 2025), alongside other rare menswear artefacts from our collection.

Curated by Amber Butchart, Splash! explores a century of swimwear, design, and social change, from lidos to Lycra, Baywatch icons to body politics.

📅 Splash! opens today, 28 March 2025 at the Design Museum, London.

#WestminsterMenswearArchive #VinceMansShop #MailOrderFashion #MenswearHistory #SplashExhibition #DesignMuseum #SubculturalStyle #BritishMenswear #FashionArchives #AmberButchart #MensSwimwear #IndependentRetailers #FashionAndIdentity #LGBTQHistory #SohoStyle

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

To mark the launch of his new collaboration with Clarks, I spoke to Esquire magazine about the unexpected thread linking Liam Gallagher, Charles Baudelaire, and Manchester’s 19th-century Monkey Parades.

“The figure of the flâneur, the idle urban wanderer immortalised by Baudelaire, found its working-class counterpart in the Clarks-wearing Gallagher of the ’90s, not a detached observer, but a swaggering participant, turning the streets into a stage for presence, attitude, and ownership. His Clarks-shod strut wasn’t just part of his look, it was the look.

Like Manchester’s Monkey Parades of the 19th century, where young working-class men turned walking into a performance of status, the Mancunians of the ’90s revived this ritual; only now in Wallabees, their crepe soles adding a distinctive bounce to their swagger.”

#LiamGallagher #Clarks #Baudelaire #MonkeyParades #MenswearHistory #StreetStyle #90sFashion #Wallabees #MancunianSwagger #Oasis #FashionCulture #FootwearHistory #BritishStyle #Menswear

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Last Friday at the 4th @artefacta2025 Conference at the University of Helsinki, we explored a fundamental question: should archives focus solely on collecting finished garments, or should they also document the processes that shape them?

Traditionally, museums acquire objects long after their cultural significance is established. But by the time a garment reaches an archive, the decisions, constraints, and revisions that shaped it are often lost. Through our collaboration with the Massimo Osti Studio, the Westminster Menswear Archive embedded itself in the brand’s development process, acquiring not just the final garments but also documenting the prototypes, iterations, and shifting strategies that determined their design.

This approach raised crucial reflections:

- Garments do not emerge fully formed, so why do we only archive them once they are ‘complete’?

- If we don’t document the choices that shaped a design, what knowledge are we losing?

- How do we balance collecting the ‘finished’ with understanding the tensions, constraints, and negotiations that led to its creation?

- Can archives remain neutral observers, or does engaging in the process inevitably shape the outcome?

The response to these ideas was incredibly insightful, reinforcing the need to rethink how fashion is archived. If we only collect what survives the commercial and creative process, do we truly understand how design functions?

Thank you to everyone at Artefacta for an inspiring discussion, we’re only beginning to explore what this means for the future of archiving fashion.

#Artefacta2025 #MenswearArchives #FashionHistory #MassimoOstiStudio #WestminsterMenswearArchive #FashionResearch #ArchivalPractice #MuseumStudies #FashionDocumentation #DesignProcess #MaterialCulture #MenswearInnovation

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Thrilled to have made it into Private Eye's Pseuds Corner for a record third time!

#PrivateEye #PseudsCorner #Humour #Satire #keepitcasual #Milestone #RecordAchievement #BritishHumour #ThirdTimeLucky #Publications #MediaMentions

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

I spoke to @lanre_bakare at The Guardian this week about the rise of Stone Island in the UK and its historical precedents.

“The football casuals of the 1980s were, in many ways, the modern-day equivalents of the young men embarking on the Grand Tour in the 18th century, rather than bringing back art and antiquities, they brought back Italian menswear.”

Image: A Conversation Piece in Rome, c.1760. With apologies to Nathaniel Dance-Holland

https://t.co/Tr7iiEsxCv

#StoneIsland #FootballCasuals #MenswearHistory #GrandTour #ItalianFashion #SubcultureStyle #1980sFashion #UKMenswear #CulturalHistory #StoneIslandUK #FashionNarratives #HistoricalFashion #casualsculture

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

I am excited to share my latest article, co-authored with Dr Danielle Sprecher, which explores how Massimo Osti's visionary work influenced the development and direction of the Westminster Menswear Archive. Osti’s approach to archiving—a detailed collection of technical, military, and utilitarian garments—laid the foundation that inspired our collection strategies, educational focus, and commitment to industry engagement. His legacy shapes how the WMA functions today, providing a critical resource for understanding menswear's past and future.

Link to the article here: https://t.co/gI0gsas6Es

Photo: The Massimo Osti Archive, Bologna

#FashionTheory #Menswear #WestminsterMenswearArchive #FashionResearch #MassimoOsti #FashionStudies #ArchiveResearch #DesignInnovation

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Just published in Fashion Theory.

I am excited to share my latest article, co-authored with Dr Danielle Sprecher. It explores how the visionary work of Massimo Osti influenced the development and direction of the Westminster Menswear Archive.

Osti’s approach to archiving - a detailed collection of technical, military, and utilitarian garments - laid a foundation that inspired our collection strategies, educational focus, and commitment to industry engagement. This legacy shapes how the WMA functions today, providing a critical resource for understanding menswear's past and future.

Link to the article here:
https://t.co/OxQrcVYuAO

Images
1. The Massimo Osti Archive, Bologna
2. Westminster Menswear Archive Initial Fit-Out, 2016
3. Invisible Men Exhibition, 2019
4. 18th-Century Frock Coat vs. Alexander McQueen
5. Research garments selected for an Italian brand, 2022
6. Umbro 100 Exhibition, 2024

#FashionTheory #Menswear #WestminsterMenswearArchive #FashionResearch #MassimoOsti #FashionStudies #ArchiveResearch #DesignInnovation

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Great evening at Stone Island, Soho, celebrating the launch of the revised and updated Storia book. Fantastic to catch up with Carlo and spot some serious archival jackets worn by familiar faces. A fantastic celebration of Stone Island’s heritage, innovation and passion.

#StoneIsland #CarloRivetti #StoriaBook #MenswearArchive #FashionHeritage #casuals #IconicOuterwear #ArchivalFashion #terracecasuals #StoneIslandSoho #FashionCommunity

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

@TheKitmanUK @mensweararchive Pleasure! We have a few early Bukta shirts in the archive, I'll see if I can find some more photos to share.

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

@BrynLaw @Waterstones @Hatchards @sprecher_d @BloomsburyFashn @UniWestminster @wstmnstrfashion Yes of course. Drop me an email at [email protected] and we can sort out a day to come in.

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Exciting to see our book, "Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive," available in some of the most iconic bookshops around London—Foyles, Waterstones, and Hatchards.

Whether you're exploring the fascinating history of menswear or discovering the hidden stories behind some of fashion’s most influential garments, this book offers an in-depth look at the Westminster Menswear Archive's collection.

Have you spotted it in-store yet?

#WestminsterMenswearArchive #InsideTheArchive #FashionHistory #Menswear #BookRelease #Foyles #Waterstones #Hatchards #FashionResearch #BritishMenswear"

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

@DrAlexJack1 @northumbriana 🤣

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Last week, while researching Umbro at the British Library, I was struck by how, by the 1950s, sportswear brands were already competing intensely to have teams wear their kits—a practice we often think of as a more modern strategy.

For example, during the 1955 FA Cup final at Wembley, both Manchester City and Newcastle United wore Umbro kits, underscoring Umbro’s significant presence in the market. However, the competitive nature of 1950s sportswear was evident in Litesome Sportswear’s decision to provide Manchester City with a distinctive two-colour tracksuit specifically for the event. This choice highlighted Litesome’s ambition to distinguish itself within an increasingly crowded market, aiming to position the brand as a preferred choice for professional sports teams.

Images
Manchester City, 1955 FA Cup Final
Litesome advert, 1955
Bobby Johnstone FA Cup shirt, 1955
Umbro advert, 1955

#Umbro #BritishLibrary #SportswearHistory #1950sFootball #FACupFinal #ManchesterCity #NewcastleUnited #WembleyStadium #LitesomeSportswear #FootballHeritage #KitCulture #VintageSportswear #FootballHistory #RetroFootball #1955FACup #TeamKit #SportswearCompetition #FootballMemorabilia #FashionInFootball #TracksuitHistory

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

@PaulJSweetman @Philips @UoW_CREAM Completely. Although this has performed better than many, most tech companies still fail to grasp the essence of fashion and its temporal nature.

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

In 2000 Levi’s formed a design research label, the Industrial Clothing Division+ (ICD+) in collaboration with Philips Electronics and Italian designer Massimo Osti. Philips had been focusing their research and development on a project called Philips Wearable Electronics, and the ICD+ range was the first outcome available to consumers.

DRAFT Revision 6
Introduction
Levi’s Industrial Clothing Division and Philips Electronics have developed clothing for the next generation of workers, featuring exclusive technology.
Levi Strauss & Co was founded by providing strong utility pants with reinforced pockets for the Californian gold miners in 1850’s. This new Levi’s ® brand ICD+ is a natural evolution of the company’s ‘form follows function’ work-wear heritage.
The ICD+ range of wearable electronics combines modern day garment functionality with up to the minute communication technology and has been designed for people who live life under their own rules.

#ICDPlus #WearableTech #FashionInnovation #TechInFashion #PhilipsFashionCollab #SmartClothing #Techwear #FutureOfFashion #FashionTech #MenswearInnovation #DesignAndTech #InnovationInFashion #JacketTechnology #HighTechFashion #FashionDesign #FashionCollaboration #Philips #massimoosti

[Professor Andrew Groves @ProfGroves]

Just Released! The Westminster Menswear Archive Annual Review 2023/24

We are excited to announce the publication of the Westminster Menswear Archive's Annual Review for 2023/24. This has been a pivotal year for the Archive, marked by significant milestones, from landmark exhibitions such as Umbro 100: Sportswear x Fashion to exclusive collaborations with brands like Massimo Osti Studio.

Download your copy now via our website.

https://t.co/7vAng28xic

#WestminsterMenswearArchive #MenswearHistory #FashionArchives #MassimoOsti #Umbro100 #AlexanderMcQueen #CPCompany #FashionExhibitions #WMAResearch #Sportswear #MenswearInnovation