More men are embracing fashion, and retailers are responding with specialized environments

The conventional wisdom about guys and shopping has always been that they go together like paisley and plaid, which is to say not very well. There is a reason menswear in most stores is relegated to the back walls and the basements, while womenswear is front and center.

But now, men are demanding better service from retailers, and stores are providing it.

“For too long, male shoppers were considered to be the stepchildren,” said Jim Moore, the creative director of GQ. “There were a lot of assumptions on the retail level that men weren’t interested in fashion and that they just went to department stores to buy socks and underwear.”

In recent months, though, a surprising number of retailers have opened stores that cater solely to their male customers, with specialized environments and customer service. Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue have remodeled their men’s floors, and Urban Outfitters created a separate catalog for men.

Even the recent New York Fashion Week had more events tailored to menswear. Details magazine rented a space at Lincoln Center, the event site, to encourage more men’s designers, like John Bartlett and Mark McNairy, to show their collections in the U.S., rather than in Europe, where men’s designers typically get more respect.

While men have traditionally been stubborn consumers, and the fastest to close their wallets during times of economic strain, there is a growing sense among retailers, evidenced by the phenomenal success of new men’s concepts from labels like Coach and J. Crew, that a new generation of male consumers actually embraces fashion. Or at least that younger guys are not so afraid of shopping.

Luxury designer labels like Hermes and Bottega Veneta have responded to a growing market by opening distinct stores for men, and Lanvin, the French fashion house that dressed both the best actress and best actor winners at the Oscars this year, plans to open an expensive one on Madison Avenue this fall.

In August, Christian Louboutin, the designer known for his red-soled stilettos, opened a store for men in the meatpacking district, the first of three men’s-only stores planned this year. Louboutin expects men’s shoes to grow to 20 percent of his business, from 5 percent, within a few years. And they typically cost $2,000 a pair.

The trend has also reached more democratically priced stores like Club Monaco, Ralph Lauren and even Ugg, the shearling shoe company, which opened a men’s store this summer. On Thursday, Nordstrom opened a temporary men’s store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, with products selected by the editors of GQ, like Warby Parker eyeglasses and Billy Reid sportswear. Other touches intended to appeal to guys include a coffee bar, complimentary shaves and, naturally, lots of gadgets.

The reason for all this attention to men is fairly obvious: Since the recession, they have represented the fastest-growing segment of the adult apparel market, according to the NPD Group’s Consumer Tracking Service. In 2011, dollar sales in menswear increased 4 percent, to roughly $55 billion, led by strong gains in categories like dress shirts, tailored suits and sports coats. (The women’s market is twice as large, but it grew at a rate of 3 percent for the same period.)


