The misconception attached to men and their shopping habits,
particularly surrounding the reluctance when accompanying wives or girlfriends on
trips to the shops is finally beginning to fade. In fact it’s surprising that
the urban legend, stigma or call it what you will that is associated with men
and their less than enthusiastic willingness to shop has lasted as long as it
has. The modern man not only puts up with shopping as a means to attempt to remain ‘cool’, he embraces it, following fashion more than likely
through a handful of social channels and continually looking for ways to shape
his style by keeping on top of the latest trends and goings on.
This shouldn't be a shock really, male fashion icons have
been growing in prominence for years, and we now have an abundance of fashion
conscious men in the spot light, it seems like every other month there is a new
style ambassador for men’s fashion from the biggest in the game growing in
popularity to new kids on the block appearing in the front row of fashion shows
for the first time. This popularity has meant a trickle down effect into the
wider public that has been taking place for for some time. Not only this but as well as being more self-aware of their of their
image men now have a larger interest in the fashion industry as whole and designer
brands in general.
This is all pretty obvious to anyone who has done any sort
of shopping in any major city or online in the last 10 years. The ways in which
men can shop is transforming and you don’t
need us to reel off any market research to show why or what sort of
demographics it effects most, instead we want to focus on the future and look
at what can be expected to change now men no longer need to hide their
shopping pleasures.
Not a Complete Shift to Online
We need no reminding of the ways in which we are all more connected then
ever before, whether commuting, at work, out with friends or just relaxing at
home stylish men are now shifting through collections, look books and new
arrivals at all times. This is reflected in the huge power of online shopping and
it’s really not surprising why this is the case, from beating the crowds to
just the sheer amount of choice available. However this doesn't mean young men will
completely desert the store based shopping visit. London is the perfect example
of this, taking the lead in menswear styles with some of the best shopping
streets in the world from Dover Street to Redchurch Street and whether these will
retain their prominence will have to be seen but with changing trends you can
count of different parts of London becoming popular and different menswear hubs
popping up to compliment the growth of online shopping.
Feeding the Individual
As already mentioned the growth of online shopping has given
shoppers unprecedented choice when it comes to men’s clothing but this doesn’t
only mean new and more stock to choose from but the ability to shop designers
and labels from around the world, allowing men to become even more personal when
it comes to their sense of style. No
longer are men restricted from shopping at chain retailers with new arrivals
that may not fit their style and lines that are available to a huge consumer base,
instead the modern man can shop for individual pieces whenever they are and
from wherever they like.
The future of men’s fashion looks extremely bright indeed,
with the emergence and thriving of LCM on the world wide fashion calendar as well as the first
ever New York Fashion Week: Men’s this year, male clothing is finally emerging from the
shadow of womenswear and it is going to
be fascinating to where it goes from here.
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