American men boost retail economy

Friday 10th of February 2012 04:58:32 PM

Reuters reports that sales of male clothing are forecast to increase by over 8% in the first quarter of 2012, the largest predicted increase for two decades and is based on number-crunching by IBM Global Business Services of information supplied by the national Census Bureau. The data produced by the Census Bureau does not include online retailing, so given the increase globally in internet sales of clothing, the figures look very positive.

IBM interpret the data to reveal that men returning to work as a result of five months of continuous employment growth inside the USA are investing in sharp new clothing. The 25-30 age group is the biggest clothing investor at present, suggesting that either obtaining employment, or needing to look smart to compete for jobs, is a primary driver of the clothing surge.

Women’s clothing purchases have not shown anything like as much of an increase, possibly in part due to the tendency of women to ‘swish’ their clothing, which means to organise parties at which women swap classic clothing with each other, and trade their designer mistakes with each other to create new outfits suitable for the workplace.

Masculine business attire has become a feature of the new spending patterns: polo-shirts and chinos are largely out, in favour of braces, slim-line silk ties and neatly fitted cotton shirts. This taste for workplace fashion is being watched by retailers hoping for a 1980s resurgence in silk shirts, unstructured jackets and masculine preening in the form of complex haircuts and competitive dance floor moves!

Clare Hansen

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