From monster shoes to glitter pants: Men's fashion weeks shout for attention

The recent men's fashion weeks in Milan and Paris concluded with runways ablaze with attention-grabbing designs, from Dior's glittering disco trousers to YSL's viral transparent "ragebait" shoes. These collections aimed to make a statement in a sector navigating challenging economic times and often overshadowed by the larger women's fashion market.

This push for visibility comes as the men's fashion industry faces pressure. Several brands are consolidating their separate men's shows with women's weeks, and London has even eliminated its dedicated men's fashion week. According to Nathalie Helsen, fashion director at Sabato Magazine, the extreme designs seen on the catwalks are a strategy to generate social media buzz. She observes that, despite these flamboyant displays, men's fashion generally remains more commercially conservative than women's.

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On average, men simply spend less on clothing.

The economic realities underscore the disparity. Globally, women's fashion represents a significantly larger portion of luxury sales. Forbes data indicates the UK women's clothing market is nearly double the size of men's. This financial incentive means brands traditionally allocate greater investment to women's collections, making separate, large-scale shows for men less economically viable.

Adding to the challenges, both Milan and Paris experienced a heatwave during the fashion weeks, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Shows by Dior and Rick Owens, held outdoors, had to be moved to earlier in the morning to escape the extreme heat. This discomfort perhaps symbolically reflects the precarious position men's fashion currently occupies, striving for attention in a competitive and economically sensitive landscape.

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Globally, womenswear represents a much larger share of luxury sales than menswear, so fashion houses traditionally reserve their biggest investments for women's collections.