February 1, 2010

The current mustache obsession brings back classic styles and funky accessories.

Growing up in a moustache-friendly – my father has sported one of the Tom Selleck variety since as long as I can remember – house, I’ve always had an appreciation for the upper lip facial hair.

With such a variety: the Fu Man Chu (long, downward with pointing ends), Handlebar (bushy with ends pointing up), the Pencil (thin, straight and narrow), the Walrus (bushy, hanging over the lips, covering nearly the entire mouth) and many more, it is hard not to value the patience and creativity that go into growing and sculpting them.

Who knew though, that a trend seen as far back as 300 BC would one day make the leap into the world of fashion and entertainment? Duduá, an online shop selling all sorts of quirky items like amigurumi (Japanese art of crocheting stuffed animals), carries a cute moustached ghost brooch, as well as the popular Mr Moustache tote bag. Over on Etsy, another online store, where crafty folk from around the world sell their wares, there are moustache handkerchiefs and moustache and beard combo crocheted face warmers.

In 1999 a group of men from Adelaide, Australia even decided to pay homage to the stache dedicating the whole month of November to growing and sculpting the facial hair. Known as Movember, the now charitable event is used to bring awareness to men’s health issues. One of the loveliest items sold in support of Movember, are the Gold Movember cufflinks from Arbitrage.

Taking this trend past November, students and alumni at the Rhode Island School of Design have designed a 2010 moustache calendar—letting the different staches follow you throughout the year. By far the greatest discovery from this moustache hunt is Mustaschmemo, hailing from Sweden. Based on the children’s game, Memory, here players need to concentrate on the shape and color of various moustaches to win.

But, why the current moustache obsession? Perhaps it is the moustache as an art form, its sometimes silliness or the way the word rolls off the tongue…moostah-shh, that’s caused the current mayhem, where people want to wear them, play with them, even sing their praise. CZ

Duduá: dudua.myshopify.com

Etsy: www.etsy.com

Movember: movember.com

Gold Movember cufflinks: arbitrage.com/store/Goldmovemberlinks.html

Moustache Calendar: www.themoustachecalendar.com

Mustaschmemo: www.mustaschmemo.se