TRENDS FROM THE TRADE SHOWS

by Karen Alberg Grossman Feb 14, 2024


New York, Dallas, Chicago, Charlotte…  It was a plethora of reunions with long-time friends and a whirlwind of beautiful fall ’24 men’s fashion that greeted retailers from across the country this trade show season. As Karen Penner put it, “It’s almost too much to digest at the shows; it takes a few days for your thoughts to settle in and to make some sense of it.”

And so, after a few days sorting through our notes and photos, MR editors have zeroed in on the following must-have trends:

  • soft unstructured sport coats in both wovens and knits
  • DB models in suits, sport coats and outerwear
  • more relaxed pants (some with pleats)
  • overshirts (especially in corduroy)
  • chunky sweaters in luxury yarns
  • five-pocket pants with stretch (still in demand)
  • unique and personalized accessories
  • elevated everything…

 

Yes, the luxury trend continues strong, reinforcing the theory that customers with money are spending it. Although the luxury market has been hot since post-Covid and is becoming more competitive, it’s still going strong. That said, there’s still plenty of growth potential in fashion priced between moderate and luxury—especially from brands that look more expensive than the ticket price.

Here, some favorite tailored looks at various price points from LBM (gorgeous!), Heritage Gold, Richard Choi (a pioneer of knit sportscoats many years back), Empire, Peerless (love HSM and TailoRed), Paisley & Gray (fun and affordable), Roffe (Geoffrey Beene, Lucky, Duchamp, Hechter and Eagle), Betenly, Jack Victor and Fedeli. Clearly, the tailored clothing market has never looked better!

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The ones that (almost) got away

By John Russel Jones

Karen, I couldn’t agree more. Some absolutely gorgeous menswear was out there, and reuniting with everybody was a true delight. The trends I saw were definitely related to yours:

  • Outdoors: We’re already seeing this in the market, but it seems like many designers had vintage 1980s L.L. Bean catalogs pinned to their inspiration boards.
  • Crazy prints: The print thing has been going on for a while, but I felt like some fresh inspiration was happening, especially for a fall season. I particularly liked the one from Europann with a Pantone-like color chart: perfect for the art directors in your life.
  • Texture: From fleece to mohair to rough suedes, I think we’re all seeking a level of comfort from clothes that look touchable and warm. That super fine wale corduroy seemed to show up in almost every collection (and we’re okay with that!).
  • Vivid color: Everything has been so focused on “quiet luxury:” Let’s get loud! I think we’re going to see a return to color-you-can’t-miss heading into next year.
  • Bell bottoms: There’s definitely a subtle Western trend going on (more in women’s market than men’s), but I’m ready for a little 1970s vibe. Again, I think we’re going to see a bit more of this in spring 2025.

Shop these trends from Keen, Gant, Brotherwolf, Beams, Paul Smith, NN07, Lords of Harlech (loved the merino neckties and pocket squares), CRWTH, Shangri-La, McNairy & Co, Origin Knitwear, Serge Blanco, Europann, Jerry Kaye, John Varvatos, Tommy Bahama, Monfrére, Levis, and DL1961.

 

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