Luxury Labels Woo the Men

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the increased effort of luxury labels going after the male market.

Labels such as Louis Vuitton, Lilly Pulitzer and Harry Winston, which are typically associated with the female set, are seeing the appeal of targeting the evolving male’s sense of style.

“The labels say one of their ultimate goals is to get men to shop more like women — making more impulse purchases and being open to items they didn’t intend to buy when they walked into the store. Many men nowadays know what they’re looking for when they step into a store and are unlikely to pick up anything extra.”

Getting men to shop like women is obvious for the added benefit to the bottom line.

The shopping habits of men have changed in the past decade. The rise of the metrosexual has shown men that their peers are going out shopping and enjoying it.

“Men are also doing more of their own clothing shopping. Last year, 75% of men bought most of their own clothes, compared with 52% in 1995, according to Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst.”

Men are developing a more confident sense of style. They no longer need women to select their clothing. They are showing that they don’t mind choosing their own articles of clothing and labels are readily seeking this male customer out.

Male Bonding [WSJ]