| Fashion and clothing shopping has always | | | | was a bumper time for male fashion |
| been seen to be a women's domain, | | | | shopping, a stark contrast to the views |
| something in which men until recently | | | | expressed by Acadia as shops reported an |
| have not taken an active interest. | | | | increase in takings from their male |
| However for men, fashion and the pursuit | | | | departments |
| of couture has always flitted in and out | | | | It seemed suddenly there was a rise in |
| of favour. Think of the highly preened | | | | the number of males keen to spend their |
| men of 17th century Europe with their | | | | dosh. But why? |
| puffed sleeves, lace collars and | | | | The trend can be attributed to many |
| powdered wigs. Today men once again are | | | | things including an increase in men's |
| interested in looking good, with roll | | | | style magazines and the changing |
| models like David Beckham who enjoys | | | | patterns in the way designers are |
| shopping and has his own stylist - it is | | | | catering to male customers. |
| not 'girly' to want to wear cool clothes | | | | Homme and GQ are among the biggest |
| and be individual looking. | | | | selling magazines in the UK with FHM |
| Having said that most men do not lust | | | | alone overtaking the sales of many |
| after fashion as obsessively as their | | | | women's monthly magazines. As FHM et al |
| female counterparts and this reluctance | | | | increasingly feature fashion in their |
| to hop aboad the fashion bandwagon has | | | | pages, they are unintentionally |
| meant that large name retailers are | | | | encouraging more men to adopt an |
| having to reconsider their investment in | | | | attitude towards fashion, something they |
| their range of male clothing lines as | | | | have not being previously forced to do. |
| men are simply not spendign enough money | | | | Designers that originally designed for |
| on clothes. Towards the end of 2001, | | | | women only are beginning to introduce |
| 'The Acadia Group' in charge of some of | | | | lines for men while high street giants |
| the biggest names on the high street, | | | | such as Benetton and Gap now have |
| including Topshop and miss selfridge, | | | | extensive male sections. |
| was to close the male departments of | | | | Who knows how long the trend will last, |
| some of their biggest stores. | | | | but for the time being it seems we have |
| The managing director of Acadia claimed | | | | seen an end to the time when women use |
| simply that "men are not spending | | | | to shop and their partners had no choice |
| enough". Furthermore "we are unable to | | | | but to stand around. The industry's |
| cater to a market that just isn't | | | | changing attitude with the help of the |
| interested" his point was fairly obvious | | | | media means that now while your partner |
| -. If you don't shop then we will focus | | | | shops, you can simply nip over to the |
| on those that do. | | | | male section to do some shopping of you |
| However the Christmas holidays of 2001 | | | | own. |