Men’s Accessories on The Rise with Stores Slowly Catching Up

Over the last 10 years you can easily argue that men accessorise more. With the popularisation of man bags and headwear, along with jewellery it is not uncommon for men to compliment outfits with an array of additional accessories. The influencing factor is that men take a greater pride in their appearance now than ever before. The reasons for this are copious and a reflection of a change in culture of the way men approach fashion.

So why do men ‘accessorise’? In short, the answer is to look good. The right accessories, whether they be hats, bags, belts or jewellery, all help to transform a traditional look into something people are happier with. For example, jeans and a t-shirt is a common and perhaps basic look. However, add a trendy belt, a street style baseball cap and a touch of ‘bling’ and the look is not conventional as before, but stylish and fashionable. Accessories can also help to transform the same clothing into something radically different and more personal to the individual.

So why do retailers overlook accessories? A stigma is still attached by retailers that accessories are more for women than men. Most men’s shops do carry a range of accessories but these are often at the back of the store, situated in that darkened cubby hole space which otherwise would just be an extra store cupboard! The ranges are often limited and it’s hard to find what you want. Shops tend to promote more traditional lines such as Jeans, T-Shirts and shoes. The reasons are numerous although the mark-up and margins on clothing over accessories is probably the influencing factor.

So what’s the answer? The solution is quite simply time. Sooner or later retailers will become wise to the fact men wear accessorise too. The association of accessories and the male market is growing stronger, with some shops now giving more floor-space to items such as bags and belts than they would have before. When it comes to internet shopping there are a small number of sites which solely focus on men’s fashion accessories. Those that exist are mostly individually owned stores like www.dressdifferent.co.uk, which is a site that solely focuses on selling men’s accessories such as belts, bags, hats and sunglasses etc. The advantage of selling accessories online is that the range companies are able to offer its customer isn’t restricted by shop space.

It’s unlikely that men will have shops dedicated to accessories, as is the case with women, for some time to come. In the short term there are a few specialised websites which offer the right level of choice though these are still few and far between.