A quarter of male shoppers lack fashion sense

Chicago (March 19, 2012) – Whether you enjoy shopping or abhor the mall, the fact remains that adequate clothing is a necessity. While it’s true that some of us are born with a unique sense of style, others could use some assistance in the fashion department – men especially. In fact, according to recent Mintel research, a quarter (25%) of men who have purchased new clothing in the last year would dress more stylishly – if they knew how.

“It’s a commonly held assertion that men don’t like to shop, but our research shows that an impressive amount are interested in fashion,”says Ali Lipson, senior retail and apparel analyst at Mintel.”Eighty-five percent of men who’ve been shopping recently said they dress primarily for comfort, but if they were better educated about what looks best on them or how to create a distinct look, they would be willing to step out of their clothing comfort zone.”

Moreover, 17% of men said the last time they got new clothing it was selected and purchased by someone else and 10% stated that while someone else picked out their latest fashion acquisition, they did the buying. Sixteen percent haven’t purchased or received any new garments in the past year.

“In general we’ve seen that men, especially younger men, are quite comfortable dabbling in things that have traditionally been stereotyped as ‘women-only’, like anti-aging creams,”says Alexandra Smith, Mintel’s director of consumer trends.”In fact the beauty industry has responded to this ‘new male’ mentality quite aggressively – but it seems that the retail space is yet to catch up.”

Mintel research also found that 37% of recent male clothes-shoppers say they are interested in clothes and fashion, while 29% report that they like to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Meanwhile, 21% say they put more emphasis on shoes rather than clothing.