Iron Men. Mode in Stahl / Fashion in Steel

It has been five centuries since the harness, this archetypal-looking protective steel garment for men, was a defining military and cultural phenomenon in Europe. Despite this great temporal distance, the image of the knight in armour, who proves himself in war and tournament, is still present in the language and culture of our time. Being aware of the roots of the role image of the man who is always strong and ready for battle is of particular importance for us in the early 21st century. Indeed, the theme of the steel armour turns out, on closer examination, to be much more complex than we might expect. It is full of nuances that we would neither associate with the culture of the time nor with the prevailing image of masculinity in the present. Text: Fabian Brenker, Tobias Capwell, Daniel Jaquet Chessica Kirchhoff, Stefan Krause, Jonathan Tavares, Pierre Terjanian, Marina Viallon.