Designers have an odd habit of working in contrast to the uniforms we’re supposed to wear. Take tailoring, for example: at the start of the decade, as office dress codes relaxed in reaction to the world’s wealthiest men sporting hoodies, razor-sharp tailoring and double-monks suddenly became the style-conscious gent’s preferred look. Seven years on, and with most men chained to desks, designers are harking back to a more masculine era, when clothes were about protecting from sparks and grease. Enter functional fabrics and heavy duty jackets that look designed for welding in. These days, take inspiration not from a man who knows 15 different tie knots, but one who can fix a gearbox. Here’s how to evict Beau Brummell from your wardrobe to make way for James Dean.

Opt For Workshop-Appropriate Denim

The king of the workwear fabrics, denim has the ability to make any outfit look like it belongs in front of a machine (and not one with a glowing apple on the front). Just look at the long list of blue jeans wearers: cowboys, factory workers and even your dad on DIY weekends. All manly AF. Pristine selvedge remained the go-to for several years, but in recent seasons designers and high-street brands have moved towards styles that look more than just a little lived in. Instead of shelling out a month’s rent for trousers someone else destroyed, don’t be afraid to rough up that raw indigo-dyed pair you’ve obsessively protected from rain, spilt drinks and washing machines for the last two years. Bite the bullet and run them through a delicate cycle on 20 degrees Celsius, or leave them in a cold bath overnight. The fades that emerge are the signal they’ve seen somewhere other than just the house and office. Keen to go the whole hog with rips? Use a scalpel or Stanley knife to slash a pair of thin lines at the jeans’ knees (preferably not while you’re wearing them) and let the threads fray. If that’s too much, one of this year’s biggest denim trends is for raw hems on slightly cropped jeans – so take the scissors to the ends while keeping everything else fresh. Not got the patience to wear in raw denim or a steady enough hand to create rugged, ripped jeans yourself? Helpfully, brands ranging from high street to high-end have jumped on the trend and are producing plenty of pre-distressed styles that pass the mark.