Male rompers aka Romphims: Indian designers say there’s nothing ‘girly’ about them

The latest menswear fashion trend in the US- romper for men aka romphim, is being trashed online for being gay; sparking a debate if men’s fashion is becoming too feminine. Romphim is yet to hit the Indian market but our designers think that with fashion becoming easier and more fun, it’s a cool choice for guys this summer. It seems that hypermasculinity is a thing of the past and fashion for guys finally doesn’t surrender to norms.

Decoding the romphim

The romphim is a one-piece combination of shorts and shirts or T-shirts for women and children. They first came into existence in early 1900’s in the US. The reason they became popular was because they were loose, relaxed and ideal for movement for small children in an era where they wore restrictive clothing. Fast forward to the 21st century where women flaunt a romper because it’s fashionable and comfortable. Now, a romphim is a romper for guys. This trend came into existence this year.

Why is it trending

Earlier this month, Americans suddenly noticed a Kickstarter project for rompers for men and went gaga over it. Kickstarter is one of the largest funding platforms online for creative projects. The Romphim- is a Kickstarter page for rompers for men. It is the brainchild of Daniel Webster Clark and Elaine Chen who are yet to graduate from business school. For them, the project started as an independent study. They set themselves a goal of $10,000 in funds through Kickstarter. They have already got $363,476.

Apart from quickly getting funds, their venture has started a debate online where some of the social media users branded romphim as gay and debated whether men’s fashion has become a bit too feminised.

Here are a few memes and tweets regarding it.

What Indian designers think about Romphim:

“When a woman wears a suit, it’s considered sexy but when a man wears a romper, it’s considered gay. It’s rubbish. Fashion has now evolved to a point where it has become of medium of expression for the individual. Men have the freedom to wear whatever they want. Besides, I think in this weather, a male romper would be just perfect.”- Gaurav Khanijo

“Fashion now has nothing to do with gender or sexuality. Those who are labelling it as gay are stuck in the past and they need to move on. A few years ago, men did not wear pink shirt but now they do. Soon male rompers will become mainstream. Gender lines will become even more blurred. I think rompers is a cool pick for guys.” -Anand Bhushan

“ Today, when it comes to fashion, there is freedom to wear whatever we want. I don’t agree with the notion that a romper for men is gay or men’s fashion has become feminized. In fact, it’s become progressive”. –Rina Dhaka

“Fashion is always subjected to so much judgment all the time. Fashion is all about challenging set perceptions. This new trend does that. I don’t have a problem with it and I don’t think there’s anything gay about rompers. Besides, I think it’s perfect for this weather. It’s comfortable and keeps you cool. Anything that is new is met with resistance but with time people get used to it”.- Anupama Dayal