In this era where the Gay liberation movement is accelerating, there are an increasing number of homosexuals who have open attitudes towards fashion. In neighbourhoods such as Shinjuku ni-chome in Tokyo, various trends have been formed for fashion and accessories regardless of gender; “MAMBO” was borne from this culture. MAMBO is a store with a unique concept of men’s crafts, amidst the interior decorated by gay couples with various taste. The store was established in 2009 and is now one of the rare stores to introduce new products for homosexual people.
“MAMBO”, with its high reputation as Tokyo’s number 1 “Shower Curtain Shop”, has recently started selling shower curtains for homosexual people.
What is a shower curtain?
A shower curtain is a curtain used in bathrooms for preventing water from splashing outside of the bathtub or shower area. When you take a bath or when you wash your body, water splash comes into contact with various things such as flooring and walls. By hanging a shower curtain, water splash can be prevented outside of the bathtub.
Who should use a shower curtain?
People who take baths or showers. However, shower curtains are suitable for people with many guests to their homes and also those who do not want to see where they are washing their bodies. If you have children, it is highly recommended for you to use a shower curtain.
Differences between shower curtains and bath sheets
1) Sizes: Shower curtains are usually not as large as bath sheets. 2) Durability: Usually, shower curtains are washed after every use but bath sheets are larger in size so you can keep them for a long time without washing too often. 3) Construction material: Shower curtains are thin so you can see through them. The common materials used for shower curtains are nylon, vinyl and PEVA.
What is the difference between men’s cloths and women’s cloths?
Men’s clothing lines have recently started to place importance on fashion trends in addition to functionality. However, men’s fashion has always had an image that emphasises functionality more than women’s fashion. Since shower curtains are used in bathrooms where water splashes outside of the bathtub, it is necessary for the material to be strong and waterproof. Therefore, high durability nylon or vinyl is often used for men’s shower curtains.
Use of variety of colors
A common theme in men’s fashion is “monotone”. Men prefer to use the same color for all items in their outfit. However, recently there has been an increase in homosexual couples who emphasise individuality and freedom of expression; this has started promoting individualistic expressions through different pairing of colours. In the store “MAMBO”, we have started selling shower curtains made with a mixture of colors in order to reflect this tendency.
Embossing and prints
In recent years, there has been an increase in homosexual men who wear trendy clothes even when taking a bath. This has resulted from people paying attention not only to fashion on the streets but also to fashion trends in neighbourhoods such as ni-chome. However, since shower curtains are an item that will be exposed after every use, there was a tendency for homosexual people not to pay much attention to them. Due to this reason, prints or embossing have started being incorporated into shower curtains.
-What kind of material do you use for a shower curtain?
Nylon, vinyl and PEVA are the three common materials used for shower curtains. Nylon is weak against alkalis, but it has good water resistance properties as well as being very soft and easy to clean which makes it suitable for children’s bath rooms. Vinyl has better elasticity than nylon so you can use it without having to worry about tearing. PEVA is a material with good water resistance but since it is made of vinyl chloride, there are concerns related to the safety of PVC.
