Whimsical but wearable

Young guys are buying and styling suits in a totally different way.

Contemporary retailers agree: tailored clothing is selling and the younger customer is buying. We’ve been talking about it for quite some time, but modern-fit clothing has finally caught on with the mainstream guy. “We’re dealing with a new generation of men. These guys were exposed to style early with the internet, online videos and fast fashion from stores like Zara and H&M,” says Melissa Austria of GotStyle in Toronto. “For guys in their 30s and 40s, it’s still like pulling teeth to get them out of their comfort zone of boxy suits and sloppy casual wear. Guys in their teens and 20s want double-breasted jackets, shorter pants with cuffs and of course a trim, tailored fit. The biggest difference is that the younger guy is excited about tailored clothing because he’s never worn suits before; he knows the importance of looking good and he knows what’s in style.”

“Suits are hip again!” exclaims Ken Giddon of Rothmans in New York City. “Younger guys are the ones actually buying them. (It’s their fathers who are buying casual clothes…) They’re wearing them to work and out at night.” Todd Epperley at Halls in Kansas City agrees. “We’re selling more suiting to our younger customers than to our traditional guys. That traditional customer has often gotten out of a suit for good, unless he has to wear it for a special occasion. The younger guy understands that he can wear the pant or the jacket [separately]. He sees it in the magazines and has never worn one before, so he thinks it’s cool.”

At Rothmans, the contemporary customer will spend anywhere from $400 to $1,000 for a nested suit. (They don’t carry separates.) Giddon reported a huge success with Mr. Brown, their tailored clothing collaboration with Duckie Brown. “We actually reordered in season. It was successful because it was the most fitted garment on the floor, but it’s still wearable for work.” Suits in this collection retail for $795, sportcoats for $495 and ties for $75. The collection is expanding for spring ’13 with sweaters and outerwear, and wholesale plans are in the works.

Epperley says suits at lower pricepoints sell better at Halls and highlights separates from Theory. “They have all sizing in stock and their fits are really good; the Midwestern guy wants trim, but not too trim. Paul Betenly trim-fit suits under $300 retail also do well. Other brands include Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein and DKNY. The sweet spot is $695 and under for the younger guy, and we offer a lot in the $400 to $500 range. Isn’t it interesting that they’ll buy a pair of jeans for $200 but then balk at a suit over $500? It doesn’t make sense.”

Due to increased demand for modern-fit clothing, Men’s Wearhouse rolled out ‘Suit Yourself,’ a national campaign appealing to the younger customer. “We noticed that men were taking more pride in their appearance in an effort to stand out and highlight their personal style. Younger men in particular were adding suit elements to casual styles and wearing them beyond the office environment,” says Kim Owens of Men’s Wearhouse. “We introduced the campaign to address the evolution of the suit and reintroduce the Men’s Wearhouse brand to a younger male audience. So far the response has been excellent and we’re seeing an increase in modern fit sales.” Hot brands are Calvin Klein and Michael Kors. Owens notes that peak lapels and vested suits are trending, as well as slimmer fits. “We’re selling slim as well as what we call an ‘extreme body’ (slimmer and shorter).”

In conjunction with the campaign, Men’s Wearhouse revamped and modernized its website by adding style advice, a web chat feature and social media capabilities (like allowing customers to share their looks with one another online). “Social media plays a significant role, with the major emphasis on listening and learning. We’re analyzing conversations to evaluate their performance and monitoring feedback about fashion as it relates to new styles in our stores,” says Owens.

GotStyle also has a very active social media campaign: updating their blog and Facebook page daily, uploading photos to Instagram, tweeting, using Shopcaster and SEO strategies. “You name it, we’re on it,” says Austria. “We’re also creating original ‘How to Buy a Suit’ videos. Educating consumers is important. We want him to understand the difference between fused, half canvas and full canvas, thread count and construction.” Austria says tailored clothing has been strong for the past few years mostly because they took a stand and brought in modern-fit suits early on. “The sweet spot for us is between $595 and $895, but we even brought in suits at $395 for the really young guys who are still growing. We’ve sold suits to 13 year olds who want a cool look for their 8th grade prom. These young guys are smart enough to know not to rent a boxy tuxedo!”

Suit Survery

We tapped into MRY’s digital pool of 18 to 35 year-old-males to learn about suit shopping behavior.

Are you Suiting Up?
We asked, “Do you buy suits?”
62% of under 18 year olds said yes
67% of 18 to 22 year olds said yes
73% of 22 to 30 year olds said yes
63% of 31 to 35 year olds said yes
55% of over 35 year olds said yes

Bricks or Clicks? 74% buy suits in store, while only 7% buy online. 19% buy online and in store.

Top Shops: 42% shop at Men’s Wearhouse, 15% at Macy’s, 9% at JCPenney, 8% at Kohl’s and 7% at Jos. A. Bank. The remaining 19% of retailers include small percentages from Nordstrom, Burlington Coat Factory, Dillard’s, H&M, Sears, Express, J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, TJ Maxx, Walmart and Target.

A Click Away: Of those who buy suits online, 69% buy on MensWearhouse.com, 10% buy on Nordstrom.com, 9% buy on Gilt.com, 9% on JosABank.com and 3% on JCrew.com.

Hey, Big Spender… 52% of men spent under $300 on their last suit. 17% spent $300, 13% spent $500, 18% spent more than $500.

Why Buy? 44% are buying “for special occasions,” 28% “for work,” 15% buy suits “to look good,” 7% “to look professional,” 5% “for church” and 3% “for funerals.”