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ashion brands and designers can often have a sanitised and commercialised approach to male sexuality. Homoeroticism is often flirted with, rather than fully explored, so it’s really exciting to see Zhongzhi Ding diving headfirst into this world. The London College of Fashion graduate’s designs are innovative too, offering practicality, while the use of prosthetics takes his pieces into a more tactile and 3D space.
Ding burst onto the scene in London Fashion Week in February 2023, when his MA menswear graduate collection entitled Male Enhancement sparked major excitement. A celebration of masculinity mixed with utility for both cis and trans men, it saw sweatstained models strutting down the catwalk dressed as cowboys with sodden armpits and chests, complete with exaggerated curves and silhouettes. It was an ode to embracing sexuality that harks back to some of the most iconic LGBTQ+ art, and certainly got fashion editors on the front row hot under the collar for his designs.
“A strong libido may have taken control of my brain,” says Ding as he explains the inspiration behind the collection. “I’d like to create a series of male characters that are related to old photos from the 70s and 80s of the last century. Like body artist Peter Berlin with attractive bodies and huge penises, I wanted to create and reconstruct these male figures in contemporary times. I was deeply influenced by Tom of Finland and Robert Mapplethorpe, and I tried to bring Tom of Finland’s oversized penis and super slim-fit leather trousers to the real world.”