The new new menswear

4 strategic scenarios

Menswear is loaded with meaning. One meaning is cultural, and reflected in the theme and curatorial angle of Victoria and Albert Museum’s current exhibit, “Fashioning Masculinities.” The exhibit depicts the symbolism of colors and shapes of menswear through ages, drawing a full circle with Gucci and Harris Reed’s creations. Another meaning is social, and it claims that the modern femininity cannot exist without modern masculinity. The social focus on equality transforms all genders, and gives rise to the new ones. Yet another meaning is economic, where new approaches to design, merchandising and communication transform the menswear market.

To explore all these different aspects of menswear market, I charted the analytical territory defined by two axes. Horizontal axis has two points: brand and product. Vertical axis has two points: culture and consumer. Companies and individuals that populate this territory are clustered based on whether that have brands with a signature aesthetic, strong storytelling and a formed point of view; whether they have high-quality, distinct products; whether they influence culture; and whether they are aligned with customers’ lifestyles. Some examples check all the boxes; others firmly belong to only one category.

See the four quadrants after the jump: