One of the biggest issues facing fashion today is how to reach the
millennial consumer. At New York Men’s Day, one of the kick starter events
for New York Fashion Week: Men’s, designers certainly tried, and some
succeeded while others fell flat.
Wood House was in the camp of those who succeeded at appealing to the
younger generation. The brand presented freed up silhouettes that took
their inspiration from the 1920s.
Wood House SS
2017 collection shown at Industria Superstudio Hats: @brownhat_official
Eyewear: @stealereyewear #nymd #nyfwm #menswear #woodhouse #nyc #seoul
#fashion #cfda #cadillacA photo
posted by Woodhouse_official (@woodhouse_official) on Jul 11, 2016 at 12:16pm
PDT
The customer they are trying to bring are the effortlessly confident men,
one who would bold enough to wear a denim geo jacket with a tiger stripe
shirt. Other focal points to the collection included billow, floor length
trousers paired with mandarin collar jackets as an ode to the
gentleman-yet-abrasive social rebels of the 1920s.
Of course, the usual Wood House staples had to make their appearance, like
bold hardware and zipper details, but again, this is a collection for a
bold gentleman.
Max ‘n Chester, on the other hand, presented a very lackluster collection.
The theme for this season’s line was paradise, but rather than presenting
vacation inspired offerings like their competitor David Hart, they unveiled
a collection that seemed more like the inspiration was seersucker pajamas
and Yeezy Season 2. If their ambition was to hopefully recruit the Yeezy
customer, they need to just not.
The silhouettes almost seemed boxy, which took away from the design of the
clothes as well. Rather than trying to appeal to a new customer, the brand
might be better off sticking to their traditional contemporary offerings.
Vacation inspiration was big this season for brands though.
Both Krammer & Stoudt and David Hart had the traveling man in mind, which
is smart for trying to appeal to the millennial consumer. While the younger
generation has not become as invested in luxury fashion, the one thing they
do love to do is travel.
It’s hard
to come off the high that is @newyorkmensday #nymd presented by @cadillac
#styledriven #nymfw Luckily we have one more day of @libertyfairs
#libertyfairs to share w the folks who have supported and encouraged us
from the beginning. To all our friends in this crazy biz, we are really
overwhelmed w all the love! #brandtogether #madeintheusa #madeinamerica
#menswear #mensfashionA photo
posted by Krammer & Stoudt (@krammerstoudt) on Jul 12, 2016 at 7:28am
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Krammer & Stoudt focused their collection around the theme of irresistible
American surf rogue and their presentation included offerings like Hawaiian
print shirts and twill shirts. David Hart also offered some vacation
friendly offerings with lightweight short sleeve shirts and shorts, and
pops of color perfect for spring/summer like red, yellow, and orange.
The most brilliant presentation by far for New York Men’s Day would be Uri
Minkoff’s. The designers collection was inspired by the idea of time, and
rather than your traditional presentation or runway show, Minkoff brought
dancers and models together to create performance art based around time.
As models and dancer moved around the space in his suiting, Minkoff
reminded us that suits are timeless, and everyone needs a good suit. It’s
just a matter of appealing to your customer.
The magic of
choreographers @gerardandkelly #UriMinkoffSS17 #nyfwm #styledriven #nymd
@cadillac @newyorkmensdayA video
posted by Uri Minkoff (@uriminkoff) on Jul 11, 2016 at 2:48pm
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By the motion of the dancers and models, we saw how comfortable,
breathable, moveable, and free his suiting was.
“I grew up as a triathlete, so the idea of mixing suiting with the
sportswear was always there for me,” Minkoff said. “In this new age, it’s
all about finding out how suiting works for you. It doesn’t always have to
be a shirt, a tie, and a blazer. It could be a blazer with a t-shirt, or
suiting pants with a biker jacket.”
The secret to how to court millennial men may have finally been found at
New York Men’s Day.
photos via Agentry PR