The biggest issue men face dealing with fashion is the big ‘L’- limited options. It is okay for a guy to be experimental, fashionable and take an hour to get ready. That doesn’t make you less masculine or pansy, it means you put more thought into your appearance and look. My goal is to achieve Fashion inclusivity in the industry and bring more variety into men’s fashion because trust me, with more availability and the right marketing strategy men will be willing to experiment with all kinds of looks
Over time I have learnt that it’s not that men aren’t interested in styling themselves, it’s that they are either unsure of how to or they don’t have the affordable option to do so. Fashion is not necessarily emphasised for men as much as it is for women, so naturally, the male will be a smaller consumer in contrast to their female counterparts. Women spend about four times more on clothing than men do every year. Men look for Quality over quantity, and if there is quality and style they will buy it because a lot of guys are open-minded enough to do so
Let’s leave profit aside and focus on marketing and advertising fashion trends- through media and tv. The Beatles Are one of a kind men who have used media as a platform to promote new fashion that has influenced millions of men all over the world.
My Dad would watch old Bollywood movies and notice what actors were wearing and try to recreate them. Tell me how often do we see that anymore? Not nearly as much. We have to start advertising new looks, original styles and I want to see characters like Thomas Shelby or Don Draper wearing them, maybe even in real life. These are the men other men look up to as their icon, and we want to promote options for men, amazing and fashionable choices.
As a result, you will find that men’s fashion is minimal and not as versatile. If you visit a large department store like Macy’s or Neiman Marcus, you will find that most of the floors will be dedicated towards women’s apparel and cosmetics meanwhile, men’s wear will only take up only half a floor or possibly less.
For many fashion-forward people like you or me, this may seem biased, but in the end, it’s just business. Until there is a drastic change in the market from male consumers, the fashion industry will continue to serve the female consumer more than the male. On top of this, men’s wear trends change very slowly over the years, so there won’t be nearly as much variety as women’s fashion.
But we want to make that drastic change happen. I think everyone deserves ‘options’ as well as ‘quality’. Let them tell you whatever they want guys, you keep experimenting and trying to find yourself through fashion because we are bringing in inclusivity and will keep you engaged in more fashion content for men as well as how you can integrate your look into your daily life.
