Fashion intelligentsia
Updated: 2013-09-13 07:13
By Wong Joon San(HK Edition)
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A generation of men born into the 1980s and 90s, now striding into higher echelons of power, are embellishing their success with an acquired taste for fine clothes. Wong Joon San reports.
That young guy, gazing admiringly into the shop window, maybe isn't so interested in the ladies' lingerie. Maybe he's checking out the cool dude reflected in the glass pane, the one in the sharkskin threads, self-consciously adjusting his double Windsor for perfect symmetry. Men, these days, especially young professionals, in senior positions at big-time companies, especially major multi-national companies are style conscious. It's happening all over, not only in Hong Kong.
It's not surprising to see how some men in this former British colony, epitomize the old-school Savile Row tradition, perfectly suited and booted, and well turned out in everything from cavalry twill to cutaway collars: the pinnacle of British tailoring.
Euromonitor, reports that global menswear sales grew 2.8 percent to $441.3 billion in 2012 astonishingly outpacing the 2.7 percent growth in women's wear. What's more, men are becoming brand conscious, preferring the prestige label regardless of price.
"Growth of luxury menswear is moving twice as fast as women's wear. It's about 14 percent a year," says Boston-based consultancy Bain & Co.
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GQ magazine, the leading men's fashion authority, in its British edition, casts an admiring glance toward Prince William, heir to the throne as one of the leaders of the trend, along with fresh-faced, young fashion plates like actor Andrew Garfield storming the red carpet. Hong Kong moviegoers, perhaps, recognize Garfield for his performance as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), a reboot of the arachnid film franchise.
Hong Kong's bespoke tailors and men's clothing retailers feel the dynamism, acknowledging steady upward growth in sales and clientele during the last three years.
Top brand retailers, bespoke tailors and designers, scramble so they too may suffer the high rents, and cut-throat competition amid the affluence of a concrete jungle populated by high rollers of finance, property tycoons, well-heeled young executives aiming for the stars, and mainland travelers with money to burn: dedicated followers of fashion to a man. And a range of styles to cover the visible spectrum of menswear.
Men's fashion has been foregrounded by mushrooming menswear magazines, websites and blogs, spawning writers, aspiring to become fashionistos; their collective voices raised in a veritable Babel, hawking the latest styles, fashion trends, revolutionary fabrics, new retailers, new tailors, new designers, grooming tips, grooming parlors, upcoming fashion events, and naturally, best- and worst-dressed celebrities, revealed in all their gaucherie.
Men's fashion took even greater inspiration when famed soccer legend David Beckham - who carried Louis Vuitton totes as early as 1997 in a sign of things to come - stepped up to become Ambassador for Sky Sports Living, and when Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford, an American fashion designer and film director, earned international fame turning around beleaguered Italian luxury brand Gucci, before going on to create the Tom Ford label with his Madison Avenue menswear shrine and directing the Oscar-nominated film, A Single Man.
As the 19th-century American firebrand preacher Henry Ward Beecher declared long ago, "Clothes and manners do not make the man; but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance."
Anthony Hill
London-born fashion designer Anthony Hill came to Hong Kong in 2006. He worked with a number of companies before starting his own menswear label, Hill, in 2011.
Hill has been in the fashion industry for a long time, has a passion for creating menswear, and likes what he does.
"Menswear has different kinds of focus, like the different kinds of finish. For example, a buttonhole can be done by hand or with a machine, and there are one hundred different ways to play a belt loop, each of which make a difference to a pair of pants," he explains slowly, thinking of how to outline attractions of his craft.
Dressed in a smart white pin-striped jacket, Hill says everything about menswear can be improved. Materials can be leather, wood or other natural resources. Hill designs garments in Hong Kong and manufactures them across the border on the mainland.
Men dress differently now compared with 10 years ago, when the style then was for them to be "rough and ready".
With the evolution of menswear, men have become more conscious of their appearance. People, as they start becoming more prosperous, particularly in Asia, have started to groom themselves. They pay lots of attention to dressing, taking more time to shop around and doing research even on materials.
"Menswear has become a more specialized industry, with some stores just selling men's jeans and jackets," Hill says, adding that there are different looks for different occasions, such as tuxedos for more formal events.
For ordinary occasions, men can wear casual blazers, shirts and chinos or jeans, he says, but increasingly they are going smart-casual for everyday occasions.
On average, Hill's customers are between 25 and 45, but he has customers in their early 20s and 60s. People are keen to buy clothes of better quality, that can last for more than one season.
"Even when they are off the clock, they want to look presentable," he says, stressing that this was the present day trend because of greater fashion exposure to a younger group on how to dress.
He says that there is a price point at every level to buy that look.
Men are spending more, like women, on clothes and accessories, as they realize the importance of quality dressing, he says. "Nowadays it's quality over quantity."
The Armoury
The Armoury is a multifaceted store offering bespoke and classic menswear, as well as ready-to-wear, according to Ethan Newton, one of four partners who opened this artisanal clothier in the city in November, 2010.
Along with Jake Grantham, Alan See and Mark Cho, the quartet have so far opened two stores at upscale addresses in Central, one at The Landmark and another on Pedder Street.
"Our business has been fairly steady so far," says Newton, immaculately dressed like a banker inside their Landmark location.
Describing the store's demographic as being aged between 19 and 70, with an average range of between 20 and 35 years, Newton says the store's goal is to create "life-long customers".
Newton admits a significant number of the store's clientele come from the mainland, most of whom have a taste for quality and understand what they are buying.
And as he spoke, a gentleman, wearing a hat, a finely tailored suit, and carrying a brief case, stepped into the store.
Once a customer enters he can find suits, pants, ties, umbrellas, key chains, wallets, shoes, belts, and a host of other whatnot, for a gentleman.
Newton explains that The Armoury works with some of the most esteemed makers of classic menswear and men's accessories.
"We source from all over the world with the intention of filling our stores with products that are made with integrity and quality."
Currently The Armoury stocks niche brands like John Smedley and Ettinger from the UK, alongside Italy's Ambrosi and Marinella.
"The Armoury strives to develop lasting relationships with both our clients and producers, as a result, we are able to develop exclusive offerings and deliver service that is passionate and informed."
"The Armoury associates itself only with artisanal makers and producers. As a result, we offer regular trunk shows allowing clients to communicate directly with the individuals and ateliers."
A show takes place later this month when customers can meet Japanese eyewear specialist Naoki Nakagawa on Sept 27 and 28.
"Trunk shows provide a platform for our clients to commission personalized orders and provide an opportunity for the makers to interact with those using their products," Newton says.
"Basically, we don't sell what we won't wear," Newton says.
Contact the writer at joonsan@chinadailyhk.com
(HK Edition 09/13/2013 page5)