Onesies-for-all: men are pushing fashion boundaries with rompers

Tired of the limiting options men's fashion gives you? The tedious shuffling of pants and a shirt? A group of US-based university students is offering an exciting alternative that's been tickling the internet's fancy no end - rompers for men.

Bored with the usual shorts and shirt combination, four varsity friends decided that women should not be the only ones who get the privilege of wearing a one-piece - and RompHim was born.

Speaking to GQ.com, RompHim co-founder Elaine Chen said: "I personally love a romper for women, and we were looking for something different that didn't already exist for guys.

"We got to talking about why we couldn't make a romper available for men that's cool and fun and different and is a conversation-starter."

Their rompers sparked frenzied conversations across the internet and more importantly the idea raised more than $68,000 in two days, transforming RompHim from a funny idea into a fully fledged business with many of the styles on their website temporarily selling out.

Male rompers are essentially a button- down shirt and a pair of shorts fused into a single entity. They have deep pockets on the back, front and chest, an adjustable waist and, crucially, a zipper.

Spurred on by the success of RompHim, Reebok announced that they would soon be launching their own male romper.

If you need something a little more dramatic, Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Hologram City recently introduced the world to lace shorts which are exactly what they sound like, colourful lace shorts for men.

All of this points to a brave new world for men's fashion characterised by a mainstream experimentation with traditional ideas.

• Visit Romphim and Hologram City.

• This article was originally published in The Times.