Older men are having their menswear moment. Gen-Z are obsessed
From Martin Scorsese in the new Kith & Giorgio Armani campaign to Daniel Craig for Loewe, recently, the most powerful fashion moments have had one thing in common: older celebs
By Amy Campbell
A THOUGHT HAS BEEN baking at the back of my brain for some time now, yet I needed something to trigger it before I realised it might be a thing. That trigger arrived via the campaign for Kith and Giorgio Armaniâs new collaboration, starring none other than Martin Scorsese.
The campaign is genius; in the teaser trailer, Scorsese, in his distinct New Yawk accent, is on the phone to someone called Rick, describing the four characters â âprotagonists, antagonistsâ â that will star in the film series. He talks through the first three: the traveller, entertainer and entrepreneur, citing who heâll cast in each role. But heâs stuck on the final character, the âartistâ. When a mirror is held up to him (literally, not figuratively), he realises the artist is him.
Martin Scorsese is 81 years old. He is, arguably, the greatest director of our time; a legend of the game who has honed his craft and received all the awards and accolades this kind of greatness tends to beget. But Martin Scorsese is no spring chicken. And fashion campaigns of today â the type we see luxury brands unveil every season â tend to star the springiest of chickens, like K-pop stars, hot young actors and the newest It girls and boys. Yet online, the ecstatic reception Giorgio Armani and Kith are receiving for casting Scorsese seems to go against one of the fashion industryâs favourite pieces of accepted wisdom, which is that youth sells.
Of course, itâs not just the fact Scorsese is the face of this that makes it cut through â for a fashion campaign to resonate, the content has to be good, and the film is funny, charming and quintessentially Scorsese. But if you sift through the comments sections of these posts, one of the most common pieces of feedback touches on how refreshing it is to see an older celebrity looking handsome and stylish, occupying a position that would normally be held by teens and twentysomethings. Ironically, a lot of people Iâve seen share the campaign on social media are easily under 30.
Age, and ageing gracefully, seems to be the hottest thing in menswear (and fashion more broadly) right now.
Kith has been casting older icons in its campaigns for quite some time now, and no doubt, its founder Ronnie Fieg had something to do with the Scorsese idea (though Giorgio Armani, which has been dressing Hollywood royalty for years, was probably responsible for getting the director to sign along the dotted line). In the last year or so, Kith has cast Bryan Cranston, Brian Cox and Steve Buscemi in its campaigns, which, despite that accepted wisdom, has helped to put it on the map as a culturally relevant brand with a powerful point of view. Kith is sending the message that style isnât something you age out of.
And Kith isnât alone in sending that message. Brooklyn-based brand KidSuper recently cast veteran Bronx rapper Jim Jones in its autumn/winter 2024 campaign, while New York artist Ron Crawford was the face of its campaign a season earlier. Earlier this year, Zegna announced 58-year-old Mads Mikkelsen as its global menswear ambassador; the Danish actor also walked in the brandâs spring/summer 2025 show. Daniel Craig fronted Loeweâs autumn/winter 2024 campaign, while veteran British actress Maggie Smith starred in the Spanish brandâs spring/summer 2024 campaign.
Who else? Celebrity football manager JosĂ© Mourinho was the recent face of JJJJound & Adidas Originals’ new collection. Independent British designer Martine Rose has always cast older men and women in her shows and campaigns, while closer to home, Melbourne-based menswear designer Christian Kimber regularly heroes older men in his marketing.
So, what is it about seeing older celebrities in fashion thatâs resonating so strongly on social media, a place thatâs predominantly frequented by young people? Authenticity, for one. Guys like Scorsese have lived long enough to know who they are, which exudes a sense of confidence and wisdom younger stars donât necessarily have. In our ageist society, I also think thereâs something inherently feel-good and reassuring about seeing an older person look great in clothes â fashion isnât just for the young. Itâs for the young at heart.
After all, aspiration has always been the currency of fashion. And it doesnât come much more aspirational than this.
Related:
6 of Giorgio Armaniâs most important contributions to menswear
