Designer Males Draw the Line
August 9 2004
British men, sometimes depicted as a shabby bunch, are in fact more likely than women to buy designer clothes, according to a new report from MINTEL. However a second report, published at the same time by Datamonitor, suggests men are still reluctant when it comes to spending on 'grooming'.
Designer Clothes
In MINTEL's report, 'Designerwear', around half of men (49%) said they had bought designer clothes over the past 12 months, compared to 44% of women. Less than half (47%) feel that such clothes are too expensive, compared to 56% of women, although women do actually spend more on them (£862m in total in 2003 vs £613m for men).
The research also suggests that men are also more likely to buy designer shoes: some 12% claim to have done so in the last 12 months, compared to just 11% of women. This is in spite of much hype surrounding women's shoe fashions from Carrie Bradshaw and her Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo labels.
The men's designerwear market has grown by some 24% over the past 5 years, up from £493 million in 1999, while that for women has increased in value by just 14% from £756 million in 1999. The combined total is expected to reach around £1.5 billion this year, up c.20% on 1999. After a rocky two or three years, some designerwear companies expect 2004 to be rosy.
Jenny Catlin, Consumer Analyst at MINTEL, says that high profile male celebrities have played their part, 'making it acceptable for men to take care of the way they look and to be interested in good quality, stylish clothing... More designers are also associated with celebrities who either advertise their clothes or endorse their brands by wearing them.
'The popularity of designer casualwear and sportswear amongst men has also had an impact', adds Catlin, '[while] the women's designerwear market has suffered as women are much more likely to buy high street interpretations of the designer looks at affordable prices'.
The research also suggests that designerwear is not, as may be thought, the preserve of the 'elite'. Recent years have seen a much broader section of consumers having more access to designerwear through factory outlets and the arrival of less expensive diffusion ranges in department stores and multiples. 19% of the 'Ds' buy designer clothes, compared with 14% of the more affluent ABs. According to Catlin this 'simply shows a difference in priorities of spending money. Consumers in the typically better-off social grades may prefer to invest more in their homes, cars and more holidays, whereas those with less disposable incomes may prefer to get the feel good factor through the clothes they wear'.
Mintel says the question for many designer brands is, 'do they cash in their cachet? At what point do their 'elite' credentials start eroding when there appears to be such a gap between those promoting the brand and those wearing it'.
The report highlights the opportunity for designers to promote their clothes to Britain's over-55s, who are often fairly wealthy and who were the most likely to agree with the statement 'I always try to wear the best clothing I can afford'.
Male Grooming
The Datamonitor report, 'Changing Male Grooming Occasions and Behaviors', found that grooming products have yet to convince British males they are a 'must have'. British men spend the equivalent of £45.50 per head a year on personal care products, in fact midway down the table but small compared to the average £68 spent by French men.
'Men's personal care is a growth industry and attitudes are changing, but breaking the 'macho barrier' is no easy task' comments Lawrence Gould, Consumer Markets Analyst and author of the report. Over a third of men in Europe and the US agree that openly paying too much attention to their appearance is an effeminate trait that deters them from purchasing grooming products. Datamonitor forecasts that average spending will increase to £51 in 2008, and the UK male personal care market will be worth £1.5bn.
The UK male personal care market is currently worth £1.3bn, with personal hygiene the largest category at £920m, followed by haircare with a total value of £278m, and fragrances and skincare products a distant 3rd and 4th (£88m and £65 million respectively). Despite the growing number of pages devoted to advertising male personal care, 44% of men in Europe and the US rely on their partner as their major source of information and knowledge regarding new personal care products, and a further 31% on their female friends or relatives. Just under a quarter admit to 'borrowing' from their partners.
Datamonitor says men are often embarrassed to browse what they see as a predominantly female department - they 'just want to shop and go'. In fact, many just decide to go - over a quarter of men admit to having left a shop without making the purchase that they intended to because they find the retail environment uncomfortable. 'This represents considerable potential lost sales', comments Gould, who suggests putting grooming items nearer to more traditionally 'male' products in the supermarket or department store.
| Men's
spend on personal
care products |
(£/per
head) |
| |
| France |
68.00 |
| Germany |
50.20 |
| Netherlands |
46.80 |
| US |
46.80 |
| UK |
45.50 |
| Sweden |
41.50 |
| Italy |
39.50 |
| Spain |
31.10 |
| Source:
Datamonitor |
MINTEL's web site is at www.mintel.com and Datamonitor's at www.datamonitor.com
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.
