Social media powering renaissance in menswear
Category now enjoying a ‘huge renaissance’ thanks in large part to the rise of social media
The world of men’s fashion is changing.
Largely restricted to three main categories in the past — business wear, formal wear and athletic wear — these days, men’s style options have expanded to include a much broader offering of styles.
“Men are having a huge renaissance in fashion,” says Karla Welch, a B.c.-raised, now Los Angeles-based stylist whose client roster includes Justin Bieber and Tracee Ellis Ross. “They’re really driving sales. Men’s fashion sells way more than women’s fashion right now.”
Thanks in large part to the rise of social media, which provides users with an endless stream of outfit photos and style inspiration posts, coupled with the ongoing (if, even increasing) emphasis on and interest in celebrity culture, the awareness of expanding options in men’s fashion has pushed the category in fresh new directions, insiders say.
“There is a strong demand across menswear, which comes in part from a younger clientele that are more tapped in to trends,” Mario Sisneros, fashion director of menswear for Holt Renfrew, says. “Customers are requesting more styles directly off the men’s runways, from what they see on social media, and even taking inspiration from the off-duty looks of actors and athletes.”
Buzzy designers such as Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones at Dior, who boast a following of fashion fans on par with the labels for which they’re creating, have also placed a new spotlight on the men’s movement, Sisneros says. Their designs, many of which push the conventional boundaries of what’s considered to be “menswear,” are considered to be “must haves” by customers.
“It’s an exciting time to work in menswear because what is coming down the runway is more experimental,” Sisneros says.
The shift in recent seasons by many fashion houses to show women’s and men’s designs together on the runway has also proved to be a powerful force of change.
“Some of our key brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, and Bottega Veneta have been showing shared collections that challenge this idea of gender stereotypes,” Sisneros says. “Men wearing bold colours or cross-body bags are just a couple of things that are popular now but were perhaps once taboo.
“Fashion is no longer a binary choice. With the rise of social media, men value fashion as a vehicle for self-expression and look to everyone from sports icons like Lebron James to Kpop bands like BTS. Men are placing a greater emphasis on personal appearance; in turn we’re seeing growth in new categories such as men’s beauty.”
And accessories — specifically bags and jewelry — are two areas of major evolution for the men’s style space.
Previous offerings, which were generally restricted to watches, wedding bands and businesslike briefcases, have been built out to include a wide variety of accoutrements for the Everyman, not just the style insider.
Earlier this month, iconic American jewelry company Tiffany & Co. unveiled a full offering of designs catered toward the men’s category. It was a first of its kind for the 182-year-old company.
“Luxury men’s fashion and men’s culture is so much at the forefront of the world,” Reed Krakoff, chief artistic officer of Tiffany & Co., says.
The “new chapter” for the design house simply “made sense.”
“It was definitely very early thinking,” Krakoff admits of his aspiration to introduce a men’s collection fairly early after joining the company in 2017.
Krakoff is confident those shoppers who are used to thinking of the New York-based company more as a go-to for engagement rings and women’s designs will be pleased with what’s on offer in the new release.
“I think they will be pleasantly surprised by what they find.”
Featuring jewelry, watches and more, the release is split between two sub-collections: the Tiffany 1837 Makers collection, and the Diamond Point collection.
Inspired by the brand’s heritage, the Tiffany 1837 Makers collection highlights the jeweller’s hollowware workshop, emphasizing its expertise for crafting exquisite pieces from sterling silver. The Diamond Point collection, in comparison, features a bold graphic pattern said to be inspired by the company’s heritage as a “diamond authority.”
Perhaps the crowning piece within the 1837 Makers range is the Trophy Ring, a made-to-order offering that honours the company’s 160-year history of crafting sports trophies, by hand, for various sporting associations and events such as the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open and the NBA Finals. The collection includes options in both sterling silver and gold, a choice the Tiffany & Co. team consciously made to ensure the collection was something a broader base of customers could embrace.
“Having sterling in addition to gold gives you that,” Krakoff says of the more attainable luxury entry price (pieces start at $375 for the Tiffany 1837 Makers narrow slice ring in sterling silver). “As long as it makes sense and one helps the other rather than one cannibalizes the other. So, we’re careful of that.”
When prompted to pick a favourite piece among the new releases, Krakoff pointed to the uniquely luxurious sterling silver beer mug and the gold ID bracelet. But, one area of the men’s collection that’s decidedly slight lies within the jewelry realm typically dedicated to men’s designs: watches.
“Watches, to get right, take a long time. It could take three years for a watch. That’s not uncommon,” Krakoff explains. “We have a Makers Watch that we’re working on. And, there’s another watch that’s nearly completed in design. So, I would say that we will have two in the next few years.”
He’s not about to rush into it. “What I’ve learned, over and over again, is that you can only do so many things,” Krakoff says. “Just like a lot of the watchmakers wish that they could do jewelry — you have to just pick a lane at some point. So, this is our entry phase, in a way, into watches, because we’re not truly a watchmaker. We’re a jeweller that makes watches.”
Time and careful planning are especially important elements to consider when creating a collection designed for men, according to Krakoff. Especially in the luxury space.
“Men’s, generally, is easier ... but, at the same time, the margin for error is zero,” he explains.
“There’s less of a range for failure. But, nothing’s easy.”