London is set to host the UK’s first ever Men’s Fashion Week(end). Also known as Men’s Collections, these three days will celebrate the rise in the profile, creativity and commercial success of men’s fashion in the UK. And nowhere is this more apparent than online. 
The UK’s leading fashion site ShopStyle.co.uk is used to dealing with over one million users searching for the latest designer womenswear pieces or high street must-haves but the UK online fashion leader has seen a 300% year-on-year increase in sales generated for its top 5 menswear retailers, revealing that it’s not just women who are keen to be seen in the latest looks.
Leading the charge for ShopStyle are men’s brands like Topman and Mr Porter but the fashion shopping hub has also seen a number of new retailers such as Pretty Green entering the online race, as well as unisex brands such as Ted Baker, Next and My-Wardrobe.
The company believes the uplift is driven by the increase in mobile devices and shopping apps which enable men to shop on the go or pick-up an item they may have seen on the street or in a shop window, quickly and easily via their mobile phone. ShopStyle has seen 3x increase in mobile driven searches in the same May to May period and believes that men drive a substantial percentage of these searches.
Shannon Edwards, VP for ShopStyle Europe believes that new technologies are driving men online to shop for fashion. She says: “There’s been a real focus in the UK on improving men’s fashion and that has tempted many style-aware blokes to come out of the woodwork. But for these guys the prospect of spending Saturday afternoon in the changing room leaves them cold. For them, mobile allows them to shop for the big looks without having to spend hours at their computer or in the store.”