- Live Science
While gluten isn't necessarily bad, lots of people have intolerances, causing their bodies to produce an abnormal immune response as the protein breaks down in their system.
But why am I talking about gluten intolerance and what has it got to do with menswear?
It's a perfect simile for how some people may react to man-made fibres - mainly the chemical ones, but some also made from plant cellulose (plant wall/algae) and wood pulp.
People have allergies to many different things. I'm allergic to mushrooms (all kinds). To give you a good example of my sensitivity; I recently tried some organic moisturiser which did nothing but burn my skin and leave a rash...But how could it? It was 100% organic.
Scanning through the ingredients I stumbled across "mushroom extract" and it all made perfect sense and with all of these plant based man-made fibres it's easy to see how they could cause a reaction.
It all comes down to the cellar level making up fabric of your garments. For example a polyester suit jacket won't breathe as well as natural fibre and when heat is applied it will melt and break down. There's no flexibility in the fabric and worst of all it's made from dihydric alcohol and terephthalic acid, which pretty much means that you're wearing plastic bottles.
Rayon is mainly wood pulp fibre, and although wood is natural, the techniques to turn it into rayon involve a concoction of caustic soda, ammonia, acetone and sulphuric acid. This means it can survive regular washing and wearing.
Another man-made fibre and one we all know is Nylon, derived straight from petroleum giving it a permanent chemical finish.
Now I'm not a doctor nor a scientist, but by putting two and two together you can see how easily these fibres can cause intolerances.
My thoughts on gluten free menswear?
Personally I try to steer away from them when it comes to choosing my clothing and shoes. Sometimes you can't help it (especially with footwear), but wearing socks will help put up a barrier. If anything is going close to my skin I try to consider its origins. Man has been using natural fibres like wool and cotton for thousands of years, so why stop now? If it aint broke, don't fix it.
Jacket by Stefano Veneziani
Denim Shirt by Trashness
Roll Neck by Hermen Menswear
Pants by Oscar Hunt Tailors
Sunglasses by Bailey Nelson
Boots by Meermin