The chaos of the past two years has pushed menswear into more creative waters. Men are breaking down styles considered the norm and heading towards gender-fluid designs and outfits.
Menswear also strikes a connection between the digital world and nature, creating engaging styles that breathe fresh air into classic silhouettes.
Explore the top men’s apparel trends that follow these changing desires in A/W 23/24.
Table of Contents
How big is the global menswear market?
15 men’s apparel trends redefining the market in A/W 23/24
Rounding up
How big is the global menswear market?
In 2018, the global menswear market expanded to US $483 billion. Experts estimated that the industry would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% from 2019 to 2025. They also attributed the market’s growth to the rising number of fashion-conscious men and a newly found interest in online shopping.
The offline distribution channel generated the largest share in 2018, accounting for over 83% of the market revenue. On the other hand, the online category will register significant growth over the forecast period due to the availability of various trends at reasonable prices and substantial discounts.
North America generated the largest market share in 2018, attributable to the higher purchasing power present in the region. In addition, Asia-Pacific will register a 6.6% CAGR from 2019 to 2025.
15 men’s apparel trends redefining the market in A/W 23/24
Nature-serve
1. Saturday survivalist
Saturday survivalist creates a gentle, ironic story that takes on off-grid adventures. While the clothing provides excellent functionality, it also reserves some stylishness for consumers unwilling to embark on mountain trails.
The theme kits consumers in comfortable outfits that prioritize mobility and flexibility. Items like hoodies, gilets, and long-sleeve tees can adopt modular design elements (like adjustable toggles) that wearers can remove or add for indoor and outdoor styling.
2. Atlantis 2.0
Although it’s not new for nature to influence fashion designs, Atlantis 2.0 takes a different approach to provide a unique theme. While the trend is mostly print- and color-driven, it also uses an ocean aesthetic to influence shapes and styling.
Atlantis 2.0 comes with watery depths-inspired sleek designs and floating silhouettes. Jackets, vests, long sleeves, and tank tops are a few items that can benefit from this watery theme’s aesthetics.
3. Dusk romance
This theme channels digitally rendered nocturnal blooms into the slightly psychedelic evening and occasion looks. Dark romance also harnesses the potential of mycelium and plant networks to make eye-catching prints and graphics.
Every season seems to shift away from notional masculine fabrics, and Dusk romance is no exception. The theme involves updating classic pieces like button-down shirts, suits, and overcoats with liberty prints, digitally-created placement graphics, dizzying floral repeats, and eclectic mixed motifs.
4. Swampcore
Swampcore centers on finding beauty in nature’s grungier and grittier side. Interestingly, this direction points toward military inspirations but is rooted in utility-influenced contemporary pieces.
Retailers can leverage oddly decorative abstract camo prints that draw influence from swampy waterways and decaying undergrowth. Swampcore reworks wardrobe staples like cargo trousers and hoodies with engaging prints, new closures, and pocket detailing.
5. Softly sharp
The metaverse continues to showcase a firm hold on the fashion world as the digital verse imprints on physical clothing.
For this reason, contemporary style strikes a play-off between sculptural elements and more structured pieces. The results? A fresh and modernist approach influenced by the softly sharp theme.
Like the metaverse, softly sharp creates a story with abstract and undulating textures, creating a contrast between raised architectural forms and flat plains.
Care culture
6. Go anywhere
Menswear continues to draw influence from an adventurous interest in nature, catering to both emotional and aesthetic points of view.
“Go anywhere” pieces are relevant in the urban jungle, where consumers prioritize durable and utility-focused qualities. Dive into this theme by adding panel and patch detailing to utilitarian pieces like cargo pants, utility vests, hoodies, and winter jackets.
7. Primal warmth
Primal warmth connects the rejuvenating properties of natural dyes and the calm and feel-good moments of warming winter lights. Bold colors are prominent in this theme as the wellness movement gives the science of color extra relevance.
This theme’s broad reach cuts across a diverse range of jersey and tailoring items. It also showcases an attractive presence on outerwear.
8. Soulful minimalism
This theme embodies the ideals of minimalism but with a different approach. Instead of taking the cold, emotionless feeling popular with the story, soulful minimalism opts for sexy elements, conveying them via cutouts and negative spaces.
Soulful minimalism teams monochrome nature-inspired patterns to create minimalist utility pieces. More importantly, retailers can apply this theme to tailoring and soft separates.
9. Holistic masculinity
Contemporary fashion keeps blurring the lines between masculine and feminine styles as the world heads toward more gender-inclusive outfits. But while men’s identities remain a debate, holistic masculinity portrays a dressier direction, which goes against conventional ideas.
Skirts emerge in menswear as a topic of conversation, with more men adopting an unconventional style for formal and casual occasions. Meanwhile, shirts will embrace more blouse-inspired qualities, like semi-sheer fabrics, open work details, and embellishments.
10. Nature commute
The concept of “working” is constantly evolving and heading towards more diversity–and the fashion world has to keep up. With remote working and work-from-home lifestyles defining commuting, it’s only natural that it will impact how men dress.
Nature commute fuses activewear’s functional performance and outdoor-inspired versatility to create a cleaner aesthetic, allowing consumers to traverse between a work setting and home lounging. Focus on roomy suits and contemporary separates for a blend of comfort and functionality.
Creative reset
11. Prepped up
This season reframes timeless prep styles through modern lenses. In other words, the prepped-up theme reinterprets everyday leisure silhouettes with exaggerated shapes, off-kilter, and kitsch detailing.
Prepped-up updates classic checks, spots, and stripes with playful color spectrums and proportion play. Retailers can offer an updated take on styling by experimenting with proportions, like ditching slim trouser designs for broader and cropped variants.
12. Neo dandy
Soft masculinity revolves around several debates that constantly question the male identity. However, this movement paves the way for an unconventional design direction that screams “no to normal.” Neo dandy blends retro themes with subtle glamor and sensuality, which alludes to the unpopular dandy dressing.
This theme is naturally relevant for formal ensembles, like tailoring and evening shirts. However, it also updates them with soft, tactile, and sensuous materials.
13. Fluid careers
With lifestyles adopting more hybrid directions, menswear wardrobes must follow suit to stay updated. Fluid careers combine versatility and modularity to create designs to see men through transitions from homewear to formal ensembles.
Fluid careers also take on a gender-inclusive appeal while keeping longevity and durability in mind. This trend focuses on subtle details that can take an attire from everyday to elevated, such as subtle patch pockets and detachable components.
14. Marry the night
The 2020s have been troublesome, but consumers use energized creativity to express themselves and build their worlds around the chaos. The aesthetic result? Marry the night.
Cutouts have shied away from menswear for decades, but contemporary fashion gives it free rein on classic silhouettes. Experiment with simple cutouts on jersey tees before advancing toward wrap-styled and draped clothing.
15. Everyday brights
Dopamine brights are becoming increasingly relevant as more men turn toward garments with mood-boosting mentalities. Everyday brights adopt a gender-inclusive appeal across various apparel categories but look breathtaking on relaxed separates like denim, knit, and jersey.
This color theme updates essentials like shackets, long-sleeved polos, hoodies, and winter jackets.
Rounding up
Creative reset sparks the shift toward changing notions of male identities by embracing gender-inclusive designs. Nature-verse updates and reworks items to meet consumer demands for practicality mixed with versatility and trans-seasonal appeals.
In addition, care culture helps retailers consider their stand on the surrounding narrative of masculinity while encouraging a mindset around care, repair, and the beauty of age.
Leverage these men’s apparel trends to stay updated with consumers’ desires this A/W 23/24.
