MILAN — Designers and retailers continue to court male customers in both new and established markets, catering to their increasing thirst for looks that blend fashion trends and sartorial quality.
According to Bain & Co.’s latest study, the years 2011 and 2012 saw “a strong men-ization of the market,” and men’s wear sales worldwide are expected to increase 10 percent to reach 26 billion euros, or $34.3 billion, in 2012 compared with the previous year.
“We are pushing our men’s wear because we have encouraging results and it’s a business that has a lot of potential,” said Gianluca Brozzetti, chief executive officer of the Roberto Cavalli group. “We have more than tripled our men’s square footage in stores and have seen a 50 percent increase in men’s sales in the January-November period of 2012.”
Gian Giacomo Ferraris, ceo of the Versace group, said the men’s division saw a 46 percent retail increase in 2012, mainly driven by Asia and the U.S., but also by Europe, albeit more moderately, and the executive expects this trend to continue in 2013.
Who, exactly, is this man that brands and retailers are wooing? Where and how often does he shop? What is he looking for and how fashion savvy is he?
In its study, Bain said tailored apparel rebounded in 2012, while casualwear held its own by expanding its customer base. Italian craftsmanship continued to be an asset, and made-to-measure was an additional draw for customers, especially in emerging markets.
“We are seeing the triumph of sartorial Made in Italy as the main choice of the more evolved consumer. To find his bearings, he does not look at the brand as synonymous with authenticity and quality, but he wants to explore themes such as heritage, process, provenance,” said Umberto Angeloni, ceo of Caruso. “I believe this is evolutionary and therefore permanent. Italian men, in particular, tend to buy with a method and with a functional purpose, rather than on impulse and guided by fashion. For this reason, they prefer to build a more continuous relation with a product, a store, a tailor or a retailer.”
Angeloni highlighted two main trends: fashion brands working on expanding their tailoring component, and more classic and sartorial companies evolving by offering product with a trendy edge. “Sartorial quality and design are the salt and pepper of all brands that are trying to find the right recipe through the right mix,” said the executive. In 2013, Angeloni hopes to open Caruso’s first store, expected to be located in Milan, later followed by a unit in New York.
Versace’s Ferraris described the brand’s customers as “very attentive to trends” but generally loyal and looking for designs that best reflect the essence of the label. In particular, “Asian consumers are less formal and prefer outfits identified with Versace, while American customers are more fashion-forward. Europeans are more attentive to details, quality and sartorial elements of the outfit.”
Likewise, Stefano Cantino, director of communications and external relations at Prada, which counts 28 men’s stores globally, said men’s wear “significantly contributes to promote the innovative image of the brand through its runway shows and its more classic products, reinterpreted in a contemporary way in line with the codes of the brand.”
According to Bain & Co.’s latest study, the years 2011 and 2012 saw “a strong men-ization of the market,” and men’s wear sales worldwide are expected to increase 10 percent to reach 26 billion euros, or $34.3 billion, in 2012 compared with the previous year.
“We are pushing our men’s wear because we have encouraging results and it’s a business that has a lot of potential,” said Gianluca Brozzetti, chief executive officer of the Roberto Cavalli group. “We have more than tripled our men’s square footage in stores and have seen a 50 percent increase in men’s sales in the January-November period of 2012.”
Gian Giacomo Ferraris, ceo of the Versace group, said the men’s division saw a 46 percent retail increase in 2012, mainly driven by Asia and the U.S., but also by Europe, albeit more moderately, and the executive expects this trend to continue in 2013.
Who, exactly, is this man that brands and retailers are wooing? Where and how often does he shop? What is he looking for and how fashion savvy is he?
In its study, Bain said tailored apparel rebounded in 2012, while casualwear held its own by expanding its customer base. Italian craftsmanship continued to be an asset, and made-to-measure was an additional draw for customers, especially in emerging markets.
“We are seeing the triumph of sartorial Made in Italy as the main choice of the more evolved consumer. To find his bearings, he does not look at the brand as synonymous with authenticity and quality, but he wants to explore themes such as heritage, process, provenance,” said Umberto Angeloni, ceo of Caruso. “I believe this is evolutionary and therefore permanent. Italian men, in particular, tend to buy with a method and with a functional purpose, rather than on impulse and guided by fashion. For this reason, they prefer to build a more continuous relation with a product, a store, a tailor or a retailer.”
Angeloni highlighted two main trends: fashion brands working on expanding their tailoring component, and more classic and sartorial companies evolving by offering product with a trendy edge. “Sartorial quality and design are the salt and pepper of all brands that are trying to find the right recipe through the right mix,” said the executive. In 2013, Angeloni hopes to open Caruso’s first store, expected to be located in Milan, later followed by a unit in New York.
Versace’s Ferraris described the brand’s customers as “very attentive to trends” but generally loyal and looking for designs that best reflect the essence of the label. In particular, “Asian consumers are less formal and prefer outfits identified with Versace, while American customers are more fashion-forward. Europeans are more attentive to details, quality and sartorial elements of the outfit.”
Likewise, Stefano Cantino, director of communications and external relations at Prada, which counts 28 men’s stores globally, said men’s wear “significantly contributes to promote the innovative image of the brand through its runway shows and its more classic products, reinterpreted in a contemporary way in line with the codes of the brand.”
Eric Jennings, men’s fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said the retailer’s men’s customer “is definitely more savvy than he was a year or two ago. He’s been going through a fashion renaissance so to speak and is much more comfortable with personal style, correct fit and accessorizing his look. After many seasons of heritage looks, he will be looking for something more modern and directional for fall 2013.”
Jennings anticipates tailored clothing will be strong next fall. “There is definitely a desire for more modern, even contemporary, tailored clothing for young men. These guys are not looking for suits to wear to the office, but for going out at night. Woven shirts are another strong category. For many guys, the woven shirt is their sport coat. So color, novelty and prints are becoming more and more important.”
“We’re not talking ridiculous peacock” with wild prints, for example, concurred Neil Barrett, but clothes that are special in quality and have a clear identity. Like Ferraris, he underscored the relevance of “garments that are visibly recognizable to a brand; they’re different and special without making it too extreme.”
Given the difficult economy and the price range of designer brands, customers “really have to give a good reason to shop nowadays. The rich are still rich, but people in the middle — and a lot of them are our customers — for them to spend, the product has to be really special,” the designer said. Indeed, the strongest pieces are the ones sold across the board, and Barrett is working on “extremely special outerwear, paying a lot of attention to garments that are interesting and textural — supercomplicated to make, but you can see the time that went into making them. We’re using a crazy span of materials,” such as ponyskins, finishings on napas and technically treated textural wools.
“Five years ago, our men’s wear division accounted for approximately 15 percent of our business, and over the last few years, this figure has substantially increased,” said Alessandro Cremonesi, ceo of Jil Sander. “For a brand like Jil Sander — whose DNA is based on quality, modernity and precise tailoring — values for which I believe the male consumers are particularly sensitive, I foresee great prospects of growth.”
Touting the return of the brand’s namesake designer, Cremonesi said he was “sure to be able to reaffirm the above-mentioned brand values. I strongly believe that through the preservation and communication of the Jil Sander brand, the company will consolidate its position and develop further in the men’s global luxury market.”
The executive believes that “as never before, the end customer is looking for a brand that is durable. Certainly fashion, by its nature, must change every season, but I believe that the success of a company lies in its ability to reinvent cyclically, while remaining true to its identity.” He said men particularly are drawn to “quality and excellence in manufacturing.”
To address this need, Jil Sander has reintroduced a program of “fully intelato — an expression of sartorial elegance with modern cuts, in the proportions and fit that offer an international flavor and refined tailoring to the highest level,” he said.
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