The Wildfang ladies describe themselves as a modern day band of Robin Hoods (or should that be Maid Marians?) and their aim is simple; to redistribute, recategorise and rebrand menswear for women.
The Wildfang story is pretty rad, and it all kicks off in Portland, Oregon with Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley as the consumer. The company's two founders were hunting for good quality menswear tailored to their bodies, but of course, such a thing didn’t exist in the usual womenswear shops. Naturally, they started to wonder whether they were the only women on the planet craving menswear for women. And if not, was there a big enough demand to justify a brand dedicated solely to producing it? Cautiously, Emma and Julia embarked on hours and hours of customer outreach to determine what women wanted from clothes bying and whether their ideas resonated with a larger female audience.
Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley with Creative Director Taralyn Thuot
It turns out they did. And from their research they discovered that every woman has considered, at some point in their lives, wearing a piece of menswear - be it a boyfriend’s blazer or a family hand-me-down. Safe in the knowledge there was a market for their ideas, the two women left their careers with Nike to concentrate on shaping and defining a womenswear brand dedicated purely to masculine fashions for women. Et voila - Wildfang was born.
The clothing brand's name comes from the German word for tomboy and these days, with a team of over 20, the girls curate and create tomboy culture for women in a manner never seen before. From wingtips to bow ties and button downs, these ladies, along with Creative Director, Taralyn Thuot, know all there is to know about making masculine styles more feminine. The word Wildfang couldn’t be more fitting for the team’s ethos either; it's implicitly reckless, it screams freedom and it's gender neutral.
Kendall Jenner in Wildfang trousers
Wildfang’s colossal success is thanks to it’s simple, down-to-earth approach to dressing women. And its growth has been helped by a legion of celebrity fans the brand has attracted along the way. Kate Mara and Kendall Jenner have both worn Wildfang pieces, whilst Kate Moennig from the L Word, professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe and musicians Tegan and Sara have been vocal in expressing their love for the Wildfang vibe.
Kate Moennig from the L Word in one of Wildfang's campaigns
This American menswear brand breaks all the rules in creating men's clothing purposefully for women. Founded by two friends who quit their day jobs and went for it, it’s a brilliant reminder to follow your inner rebel and redefine any rules which don’t work for you.
Meanwhile, I’m off to dig out my grandad’s jumper...viva Wildfang!
