19
Top 10 men’s fashion brands … and why …
Which men’s fashion brands are the most popular in the world of style today? With a commitment to excellent design, tailoring and manufacturing, these leading menswear brands will give you a fashion fix for life.
1. Ralph Lauren
A luxury lifestyle brand like no other, Polo Ralph Lauren tops the men’s fashion brand charts (especially in the USA) in male wear. Ralph Rueben Lifshitz (aka Ralph Lauren) did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman in the early sixties. In 1967, with the financial backing of a friend, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label “Polo.” In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the COTY Award for his menswear line. Around that same time he released a line of women’s suit that were tailored in a classic men’s style, which was when the first Polo emblem was seen. It was on the cuff of the women’s suit. Ralph Lauren, released Polo’s famous short sleeve mesh shirt with the Polo logo in 1972. It came out in 24 colors and soon became a classic. He also gained recognition for his design after he was contracted to provide clothing styles for the movie The Great Gatsby. The rest is history.
Today, Ralph Lauren is a US-based sought-out brand preferred by many men for its quality, design and chic, high-end fashion. In 2009, Ralph Lauren reportedly had a market value of $11 billion.
2. Diesel
Vibrant, bred in Italy and a firm favorite with men around the world, Diesel’s clothing is aimed at the young adult market, particularly its jeans, but the brand can now be found on everything from underwear to fragrance. Diesel’s innovative approaches to fashion and art includes endorsing young creativity by sponsoring the Diesel-U-Music Contest and the Sundance Film Festival as well as being the first clothing company to market their clothing in video games.
3. Calvin Klein
CK is a popular for its mad style amongst most fashion conscious guys. From sportswear, to denim and underwear, the CK brand is iconic and has made huge strides in the world of designer brands. Think of the fragrance line alone – ‘Eternity’, ‘Obsession’ and ‘CK One’ – each a stand-alone brand in itself. Calvin Klein’s underwear business, promoted in the 1990s with giant billboards showing images of pop singer “Marky Mark” – now actor Mark Warlberg – was so successful that the brand’s underpants became generally known as “Calvins” in everyday lexicon. As of 2008, Calvin Klein’s proceeds stood at $5.8 billion.
4. GUCCI
This Italian brand is a top men’s fashion luxury line which claims a wide share of the global market. The trademark striped webbing on their leather goods has been just one of many clever innovations that have come from the inspirational house of Gucci. Founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, the brand has gone through a thousand and one evolutions, from fame to shame, from true design to fighting knock-offs and from family roots to deep rivalry. “In the 1960s and 1970s, Gucci had been at the pinnacle of chic, thanks to icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Onassis. But by the 1980s, Gucci had lost its appeal, becoming a tacky airport brand.” Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. However a turnaround of the company was devised in the late 1980s and has since made Gucci one of the world’s most influential fashion houses – it was recently named one of the best classic garment dealers in the world and sported an ample $4.5 billion in earnings in 2009.
* Useless fact – Guinness World Records cites Gucci’s “Genius Jeans” as the most expensive jeans in the world. A pair of Gucci jeans that had been distressed, ripped and covered with African beads, when they debuted in October 1998 in Milan, were priced at US $3,134.
5. Burberry Prorsum
Founded by 1856 by Thomas Burberry, a 21-year-old former draper’s apprentice, Burberry Prorsum is today a deluxe British-owned fashion corporation, popular for its clothing, fragrances and fashion accessories. The brand’s distinctive tartan pattern, a type of plaid pattern, has become one of its most widely copied trademarks of all time including the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo with the Latin word “Prorsum”, (def: forwards) developed in 1901. In 1911 the brand became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, who led a 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica. A Burberry gabardine jacket was worn by George Mallory on his ill-fated attempt on Mount Everest in 1924. In 1914 Burberry was commissioned by the War Office to adapt its officer’s coat to suit the conditions of contemporary warfare, resulting in the “trench coat”. After the war, the trench coat became popular with civilians.
The iconic Burberry black, white, red and tan check was created in the 1920s and used as a lining in its trench coats. Today, the Burberry Prorsum brand is well-known for using British celebrities in its advertising, including models Kate Moss, and most recently actress Emma Watson, who was named the face of Burberry’s 2009 Fall/Winter campaign. Burberry accrued sales of $1.125 billion in 2009, 25% of which resulted from the American market.
6. Nike
According to Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess who personifies victory and today, the Nike “swoosh” logo is universally recognised as a symbol of “triumph”. Founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight, Nike is the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in excess of $19.2 billion USD in the 2009 fiscal year .
Positioned as a premium-brand, selling well-designed and expensive products, Nike lures customers with a marketing strategy centered on a carefully protected “urban fashion” brand image popular in the youth, chav and hip hop cultures, and via sponsorship agreements with celebrity athletes, professional teams and college athletic teams. Nike’s brands include Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding and subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike also teamed up recently with Apple Inc. to produce the Nike+ product which monitors a runner’s performance via a radio device in the shoe which links to the iPod nano.
7. True Religion
This fast growing, trend setting and street edgy American premium clothing line, was established in 2002 by Jeffrey Lubell and co-founder Kym Gold when it debuted denim products from their LA base.
Recognized for its t-shirts, western styled shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants all containing the western vintage feel, True Religion is a premium brand – its jeans can range between US$250–$300. Recently the company has begun branching into new products such as footwear, headwear, handbags, swimwear, eyewear, and fragrance and today they have around 900 branded boutiques and specialty stores in 50 countries on 6 continents. Their 2008 revenue figures came in at USD $270 million and in 2009, True Religion generated world net sales of $311 million.
8. Abercrombie & Fitch
A US bred fashion brand, A&F is a booming men’s garment conglomerate that brought in $3.54 billion in 2009. The brand specifically focuses on casual wear and accessories for a target consumer ages of 18 through 22. With over 300 locations in the United States, the brand has embarked on international expansion throughout various world markets
The brand is today heavily promoted as a international near-luxury lifestyle concept. The company began cultivating an upscale image after the opening of its Fifth Avenue flagship store in 2005 alongside Prada and other upscale retailers, coming up with a fictional dictionary term – “Casual Luxury” – “[using] the finest cashmere, pima cottons, and highest quality leather to create the ultimate in casual, body conscious clothing,” and “implementing and/or incorporating time honored machinery …to produce the most exclusive denim…” This upscale image has allowed A&F to open stores in international locations concentrating on high-end retailing. To that effect, price points in international A&F stores are notoriously almost double the American pricing to promote an international upscale image. While the Casual Luxury “image” is continued, the trademark itself is not as widely used as before. CEO Mike Jeffries calls the A&F image a “movie” because of the “fantasy” that plays out instore. Even some of the A&F clothing is given a story: “You buy into the emotional experience of a movie,” Jeffries explains, “And that’s what we’re creating. Here I am walking into a movie, and I say, ‘What’s going to be [at] the box office today?’” (The Stylemeister: “Hmmm … sounds a bit cheeseball and try hard, Mr Jeffries.”)
9. Dolce&Gabbana
Recently celebrating 20 years of design, the original brand was founded by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, and is more formal and ‘timeless’ than it’s younger, more flamboyant little brother D&G – a slightly more casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them. The design house describes itself as “new luxury, authentic and unconventional – a style that expresses new forms of elegance, presenting itself as a modern classicism” and is known for its geometric and dark approach to fashion.
10. Armani
Ranked as one of the world’s leading menswear brands, Armani is an Italian luxury fashion which has a faithful male following who appreciate the clean, tailored lines of each collection. Giorgio Armani formed his company in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with the business making an annual turnover of $1.6 billion, and a Giorgio enjoying a personal fortune of $5.3 billion. Innovative and future forward, Armani was the first designer to ban models with a body mass index (BMI) under 18. The Armani Privé spring/summer 2007 fashion show was broadcast via MSN and Cingular cellular phones and after LG teamed with Prada to introduce the LG Prada phone, Samsung joined Armani to design the Giorgio Armani phone. Armani designed made-to-measure suits for Christian Bale’s character Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. Soon, ads featuring “Giorgio Armani for Bruce Wayne” were released with pictures of Christian Bale wearing Armani suits. However, Bale later claimed in a GQ interview that the campaign was produced without his permission.
Armani has established approximately 2,000 stores worldwide with a yearly revenue of around $1 billion.
Other mentionables not on the list are Prada Pour Homme, Harley Davidson Clothing and Ed Hardy – each iconic, each with a distinctive male offering. Get out there, check them ALL out for yourself, you won’t regret the investment.
______________________________________________________
Resources:
Annmicha Blugh, Break Studios Contributing Writer, www.mademan.com
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Investor Relations
Better Investing, The Leader in Investment Report: Nike
Burberry Brings Its Luxurious Brand
Fashion Design Schools: Giorgio Armani Profile
Market Research World
Harley Davidson Sets Lay-offs
University of Oregon Investment Group
True Religion Apparel Inc.
www.wikipedia.org
12
A Mark of Dignity!
Every now and then I get a little obsessive about searching for a significant item that will define not only those style lovers who want to break out of the saturated retail market, but also for those unique individuals who aren’t lured into the greed that is consumerism.
That very ‘thing’ that I have pondered on, is a symbol of lineage, and one that represents not only an individual but a family. A long history of family.
Now, rewind your shadow senses to envisaging yourself on a horse; a large white galloping stallion, bearing a sword, and a signet ring so large you mistake it for a shield! It’s made of gold. It holds your family’s name. Your name. An emblem. And it’s significant and one of a kind. Are you getting this?
The item I’m talking about is indeed the Signet Ring.
Now, the word “signet” is derived from the Latin word “signum”, meaning “sign”. And I must say it is a ’sign of the times’, if I can quote Prince so eloquently, that the savvy consumer is much more interested in individual pieces that are authentic to one-self, instead of the lure of excess that retail is doing so well of late. It seems the world is on ’sale’ at present.
Although we will bring to you the latest, the craziest, the new, the vintage and the unique – if you, my fellow man, are looking for something very ‘you’, then this is that piece of style that is a no-brainer. It’s warrior like, it’s a hero’s statement, it’s a spiritual authority and worn by Kings. Come to think of it, a signet ring represents the 5 Archetypes that we talk about in our e-book; The Inner Man.
No other form of jewellery has played such an important role throughout history; been involved in ancient customs or superstitions like the Signet Ring. Today the Signet Ring is still an iconic piece of jewellery, bestowing the modern day owner with a sense of pride and distinction.
A ring distinguished an individual in a way that other forms of jewellery did not. Finger rings represented the language of social code, and connoted one’s social standing. Under the Empire, the finger ring was still considered a privilege, conferred for military distinction. As time wore on and attitudes changed, the ring was more freely bestowed. Even so, the ring retained its position as a mark of dignity, as a rich ornament, as an important seal, and as a token of betrothal.
The wearing of signet ring in different figure indicates some meaning, if you wear a ring in thumb it indicates sexuality of a man, in forefinger it indicates the ability of a man, in middle finger it shows the man’s influence that he is handsome, wedding finger tells for itself and in little figure it indicates the creative temperament of a man. Sometimes the design impresses into the material of the ruling itself. Signet rings are mentioned in the bible, and are used right up to the present day.
So if you’re a man of elite style, or if you’re just wanting to commence your own personal journey into your heritage, your true inner self and merging the inner and outer man, then this is certainly a piece of jewellery you cannot ignore.
5
Slick up your style, classic guy!
Are you a “classic”? Do you like the tailored look; sharp edges and slick, dark silhouettes? Are you a man after Cary Grant or Clooney’s style?
Here are the essentials to get that enduring, classic look:
Suits and jackets: dark, silhouetted, tailored, fitted well.
Shirts: Classic black, white and blue in colour, well cut.
Accessories: Slick ties, unique cufflinks, classic timepieces.
Shoes: Minimalist, clean lines and the occasional shine.
Your brands: Burberry, Prada, Hugo Boss BLACK, Paul Smith London & PS Paul Smith, Kenneth Cole, Polo Ralph Lauren.
To cut that dashing figure, just make the following items are in your wardrobe!
28
Belstaff: Legend. Icon. Craftmanship.
It’s not often one gets to witness an icon brand released into the rugged atmosphere of the far south so the MSP crew was faint with excitement when we heard that this authentic and unique international player was hitting our shores.
Belstaff.
The brand that clothed Ewan Macgregor on his 15.000 miles long ‘Long Way Down’ motorcycle adventure. The brand behind the legendary Trialmaster Jacket that a rugged Steve McQueen wore on The Great Escape and The Getaway.
The unrivalled motorcycle clothing brand that is so entrenched in tradition and modern history that it has reinvented, innovated and stylised its core to move and lead the fashion and authentic motorcycle field for years … and we now have access to the beautiful leather and waxed cotton engineering it is so well known for.
Ladies and gents ~ Belstaff has landed in Australia!
Belstaff’s unrivalled ability to fuse technologically innovative fabrics, traditional craftsmanship and iconic style has made it the obvious choice for serious motorcyclists for over 80 years. When Che Guevara set out on his first journey across Latin America it was his Trialmaster jacket which protected him from the elements, and which came to define the brand’s image of rugged, authentic cool.
Belstaff’s customer base has diversified from the rugged, male motorcycle rebel of the 50s and 60s. Now with a iconic visual identity encompassing both the casually elegant man and the powerfully chic woman, it is a lifestyle brand. Since 2001 major advertising campaigns have reinforced the brand’s new image, whilst retaining the essence of its core values – heritage, quality fabrics and classic style.
It’s iconic “Phoenix Rising” logo is an symbol of Belstaff’s rise and fall – from the textile crisis of the early 90s with the Malenotti family as its helm, to its steady creep into the high fashion arena including shows at Milan Fashion Week and boasting cutting edge advertising campaigns with fashion icons Kate Moss and photographer Steven Meisel.
With a commitment to backing humanitarian campaign such as Not On Our Watch, partnership with international events like the World Music Awards and new flagship stores in Japan, Europe and America, Belstaff is truly a unique force in fashion.
A HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE
Hollywood and Belstaff have forged a unique and formidable relationship. Belstaff has played a leading role in Hollywood’s sartorial history. Its designer work closely with top costume makers to create outfits that often helps to build, and become inseparable from, the characters who wear them. Their original leather biking jacket was the hallmark of 1950s movie stars including Marlon Brando and James Dean.
Today, Belstaff is favourite of Hollywood’s wardrobe departments who request Belstaff garments for their durability and movement for film such as I’m not There, War of the Worlds, The Departed, Inglorious Bastards, Amelia, Nowhere Boy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Belstaff has starred in Batman Begins, Blade: Trinity, The Interpreter, Tomb Raider II, Mission Impossible III, The Aviator, Iron Man 2, X-Men 3, Ocean’s Twelve, The Aviator, and on I Am Legend where Will Smith looked cool and in control with the help of the legendary Trial Master Legend Jacket.
In constant demand as much for its durability and movement, as it is for its unique and effortless style, Belstaff has become a living, breathing, waterproof symbol of style.
Get yourself into a Belstaff iconic piece and don’t balk at the price tag; think of it as an excellent investment into well designed and long lasting piece of clothing that will last you a lifetime.
In Australia, you can find Belstaff exclusively at Deus Ex Machina due to the hard work of Nick Mascitelli Imports.
30
Men’s Fashion Designers 2010
I truly believe that knowledge is power. And in Style and Fashion, you need to know who YOU are to really wear your clothes well. In our E-book we talk through all the points you need to know so it’s easy for you to create a platform for yourself that is a base from where you can creatively style from. Exciting!
There are many great designers throughout the world, who have made their mark through innovation and integrity. And of course, there are many new, fresh and exciting designers who have no loyalty in the market place, but are just as great in their infancy as the Parisian Fashion House designers we now see posted on bus shelters and billboards.
Understanding the mission statement, or the heart beat of a designer brings you closer to what they do, and why they do what they do. Many say fashion is fickle. Many say it’s unnecessary. Well, we all need clothes on our backs, and these people saw many many centuries ago that you could do so with a little more flare, a little more sophistication.
Thomas Burberry, a 21-year old draper’s apprentice opened a small outfitters shop in Hampshire, England. He committed himself to quality and innovation in fabric and outerwear design, which earned him a loyal following and by 1870, his shop was now an emporium.
15 years forward, Burberry developed a trenchcoat that was adopted by the British officers during the Boer War. And to this day that same design walks the streets proudly and is one of Burberry’s staple pieces in store. The Equestrian Knight trademark which appeared in 1901 with the word ‘Prorsum’ is Latin for Forward. And fast-forwarding to today, we see the same innovative and ‘giving’ that was behind Burberry 150 years ago, now with their Burberry Foundation which is to help young people realise their dreams and potential through the power of their creativity.
The Burberry Foundation is committed to dedicating its global resources to help young people build confidence, make connections in their communities, and grasp opportunities to succeed. The aim of the Foundation is to empower young people to use their intellectual creativity — that which will help them to imagine and achieve their life goals.
MenStylePower salute you Burberry for the consistency to see others succeed, without losing the value of family, friends and social consciousness.
7
HUGO is not BOSS at the Oscars
Actor and activist Danny Glover is calling on Academy Awards nominees and others in the film industry to not wear Hugo Boss suits at Sunday’s Awards ceremony. The “Lethal Weapon” star makes the request in a letter on behalf of 375 Cleveland factory workers who’ll lose their jobs if the German company closes the plant next month as planned. The Feb. 26 letter asks Hollywood to “take a small stand for American workers.”
Apparently the German company is closing its Cleveland, Ohio suit factory in favor of overseas manufacturing. Actor Danny Glover has joined the “No Hugo Boss On The Red Carpet” boycott, and the ‘Service Employees International Union’, the movement behind the boycott, is asking other Hollywood luminaries to sign a pledge stating that they won’t wear the brand on Oscar night. The union is passing out pins pledging support for their cause and is asking other Hollywood luminaries to sign a pledge stating that they won’t wear the brand on Oscar night.
We don’t know how much this action will have on cutting down numbers of HB black tuxedos on the red carpet. What we do know is that we need to see more classic 40s and 50s style coming back to men’s clothing and suits on the red carpet – Sinatra style – complete with a classic hankeredchief and fantastic bowtie.
We’ll be happy as long as the Academy Awards gents remember that there is nothing like a well-fitted, tailored men’s designer suit for the biggest party on the planet!
6
Men’s Designer Clothing
It seems to be that the craze for Men’s Designer Clothing is really breaking out. Here at Men’s Style Power, we show you a classic and traditional means to an end for every man to dress well and feel on top of the world. But our readers are wanting something a little more… well, designer! So here goes;
Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Dior Homme, Gianfranco Ferre, Roberto Cavalli and JPG are just a few to watch for stunning, designer classics. Oh Burberry, Gucci and Prada are also a ‘no brainer’ choice of designer to put on your bod.
Now let’s get to the talk of the moment as it’s freezing in the northern hemisphere and the southern lands are about to step into Autumn/Winter. There has been a lot of talk about suits, and predominately the pin-stripe. But I have also seen an edgy trend starting for the very skinny suit that allows for layering on top. You add oversized cardigans and a huge scarf for that very cocoon-y feeling. There’s a mixture of texture and pattern among the layers, which are so important to get through a cold winter.
So if you haven’t bought anything for a while, start with a spanking new suit. And enjoy it for the years to come!
28
Gaspard Yurkievich who?
Gents watch out for the Fall Winter 10/11 Paris men’s fashion collection from Gaspard Yurkievich Homme.
Masculine suiting with just a little peppering of true artistic designer-wear, where the shapes are curved like the bonnet of a Ferrari. We are loving the journey from traditional suits, to new artistic shapes to the shop floor for our readers to enjoy.
Adding a slightly casual look to his range, he underlays his grey, charcoal and matte suiting with large bold French striped shirts, jumpers and wools. Later taking out the strips and adding subtly tie-died fabrics that seem to swirl around the shapes of a man like a vampress mist, giving this collection another dimension. A real WOW factor!
The shoulders in Gaspard Yurkievich ready to wear range take on a pinched look which adds flavour and confidence to the already brilliant shapes.
And if you thought that wasn’t enough, the end of his runway show brought out suiting with leather squares sewn into blazers and jackets and the length of the trouser was shortened to give a glimpse of stunning sockery. Brilliant!
Gaspard Yurkievich accompanied half his collection with accessories such as overnight bags, back packs and the ever present ‘man bag’. Very masculine and a stunning achievement for this underground designer.
23
The Westwood Homeless
Right so this must be the new way designers are showing off their ranges, because if you put all this stuff together for your daily outfit, you’d be looked upon as some homeless duff. Right? So, in viewing these pictures, you can see that the consumer would more than likely say, “Ok, I love the belt on that look, and maybe the shoes on this look” but all in all, is it a piece-meal collection or one peppered with utter genius?
“Last night the press release for Westwood’s menswear collection, for Milan Fashion Week, declared: “Perhaps the oddest of heroes to emerge this season, Vivienne Westwood found inspiration in the roving vagrant whose daily get-up is a battle gear for the harsh weather conditions . . . Quilted bombers and snug hoodies also work well in keeping the vagrant warm.” Yes. The homeless.
Of course, in the candy-colored world of Vivienne Westwood, homeless people are all young with great bodies, high cheekbones and flawless skin, and they all have super-styled hair and brightlycolored clothes. And sometimes they’ll walk around in big goofy hats or even teddy bear heads!
Darlings, you just can’t write about it! Well….I just did.
SO – we all know that inspiration comes to artists in various forms, but for a high level designer such as Vivienne Westwood to be inspired by the homeless means there has been a scary increase in percentage of these forgotten people. So if that is the case, and she is riding the dusty coattails of these people; then every piece sold from the collection, should have a percentage donated to the homeless. Our belief is if the influential are going to take something from the homeless who have nothing, then something should be given back. Agree?
22
Vampires and their Hair
Quite unknown and obviously youthful, Kristen and Robert have exposed their real-life relationship which obviously has developed from their silver screen tension. Clearly Robert Pattinson is the heart-throb of nearly every teenage girl on the planet. And included in this group are Gen X and Baby-boomers who are happy to reminisce on such days when innocence of a first love flourished. Robbie has by-passed the Hollywood code of conduct and rule book, to draw in his co-star with chivalry, gentlemanship and respect. Wow – those are words not used nearly enough in the media these days, but the question remains…are they here to stay or are we going to have another Rihanna and Chris Brown saga?
Pattinson is to me, very uncomfortable in real life. He’s shy, awkward and with his angular face washed of the Vampire makeup of the alluring character Edward Cullen, the dangerous predator disappears and the true person remains. Feeling comfortable in your own skin must be one of the most difficult life lessons, and yet many of us blokes don’t get it until we’re starting to get that salt and pepper look on top and we give in. Oh well, youth has eluded me so I may as well just accept my look. Yes! Do that! But do it now.
The Vamprish style has always been controlled by black. Black isn’t a colour, it’s a shade. So it will sit well on anyone. Because the pupils of our eyes are complimented and the composition of this shade brings focus to the face. The timeless look of this style is in the fusion of loose fitting jeans, ties, vests and tailored jackets. Absolutely no jewellery. The best palette is charcoal, grey, deep blue, black, metallic and white. And as for the hair – that ‘just got out of bed’ look is the go.
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