Fashion

Men's Fashion Week Is Poised For Style Domination

by Tyler Atwood

Amazon isn't simply the best e-tailer for snapping up discounted electronics and discontinued beauty products — the website is also the largest proponent of the fast-growing New York Fashion Week: Men's. After years of being bested by womenswear at every turn, menswear is seeking to stake its claim in the fashion industry with the help of powerhouses such including Amazon, the CFDA, Dreamworks, and Cadillac. On July 13, New York Fashion Week: Men's will take over America's fashion capital, and the week-long event is poised to shatter sartorial records, Women's Wear Daily reports.

After much deliberation, lauded menswear designers including John Varvatos, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein reached the conclusion that menswear in the United States was lacking an adequate answer to the women's wear-dominated Fall and Spring Fashion Weeks. Unlike Europe, the United States neglected to create a menswear-centric Fashion Week until planning began for New York Fashion Week: Men's two years ago, when the idea was approved. The event was officially announced in February 2015, when CFDA CEO Steven Kolb revealed that the Spring 2016 menswear presentations would kick off what was anticipated to be an enduring, annual tradition.

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Despite joining the game late, New York Fashion Week: Men's is gaining momentum thanks to the backing of prominent sponsors and proponents. Kolb attributes the impending success of New York Fashion Week: Mens' to the event's array of illustrious brands, explaining in an interview with Women's Wear Daily, “Amazon bought into an idea and a vision. And their support enabled us to attract DreamWorks and Shinola. And now Cadillac is expanding its support of New York men’s fashion.”

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With such a vast collection of ardent supporters, it is no surprise that the week's guest list is bursting at the seems with upwards of 500 esteemed attendees, from fashion editors to boutique owners. According to Forbes by way of NPD Group, the United States market for menswear magnified by 5% between 2012 and 2013, and Business of Fashion reports that the financial success of menswear continues to rocket. With an audience full of spendthrift consumers, innovation-hungry editors, and retailers looking for the next big It Item, New York Fashion Week: Men's is well on its way to sartorial supremacy.

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Images: Getty Images(3)