Sportswear's trends throughout the Naught Decade surely will ebb and flow, for fashion must move to survive. But who and what will determine sportswear's prominence in the wardrobes of men is, at best, an educated guess.
"These are extraordinary times," said Kenneth Cole. "We've had more change in the last five years than in the previous 50. And I don't see it slowing up."
Where does that leave the forecast for sportswear? Mega-brands argue, "It's all about lifestyle." Big licensing houses claim, "It's all about brands."
Category killers sing, "It's about value."
Luxe makers contend, "It's all about product."
What rules the market, however, is a constant. It will always be about the middle ground between what is salable and what has buzz. With business casual showing few, if any, signs of slowing, men will be presented with more appropriate wardrobing options than ever before. Thanks to growing favor for specialty chains and the Internet, they also have more ways to buy apparel. Brand consultants and sportswear executives said these points indicate that consumers will replace uber-manufacturers and retailers in the market's power structure and will hold the most clout in the '00 decade.
What consumers will choose, market experts said, will be a combination of branded apparel and garments they feel are "the best" in each category.
"Consumers are so smart," said Jeff Shafer, president and CEO of L.A.-based BrandLab, the parent company of the fast-growing clubwear brand BC Ethic. "This decade will be all about them. The whole world is a shopping mall, so we run our business focusing on that kid who has the dollar, or types a credit card number into the computer. He is the key to the supply chain.
"Every retailer wants something different; diverse, multi-use products in sizes small through XXXL. They are hustling to respond to the customer. The Internet caused all this. It's where men can buy what they want, when they want. Retailers must not only strive to make their customers happy, but to give them something they haven't seen somewhere else before."
Couple this need with recent poll results that, unanimously, find that Americans are getting older, physically bigger and more culturally diverse than at any other point in history. And then consider the market shifts in the last year: increased bookings for soft sportswear suitings; the call for fashion within the Big & Tall market; increased attention to young men's wear and forward-thinking fabric innovations; the introduction of polyester stretch and luxe-like blends. A Pandora's box of democratic style options have opened not only for men, but sportswear makers. By all indications in upcoming years, this will be one of the energetic and competitive apparel markets.
"I think about what's coming up for us every day," said Joseph Abboud. "One thing that is clearly defined for us is that everything we've ever said that was going to happen inevitably changes.
"Corporate casual is all people have been talking about for the last three years. That is a trend with a one-dimensional view of style that takes away originality and creativity. Men are not conforming to the same standards. They want to develop a style that shows their taste, thought and intelligence."
Men's style liberation moment is arriving. However, brand consultants and trend-watchers have something to add to Abboud's point: Developing personal style will replace lifestyle wardrobing. The day of head-to-toe branding is soon approaching an end.
"Brands must realize they are not a single dimension," said Simon Graj of Graj + Gustavsen, a New York-based consulting group. "They must serve a customer and show possibilities, but not dictate cool.
"What's cool is to mix it all. Not to be pegged, but to express yourself. The consumers will be figuring out how they can buy apparel, put their own fingerprint on it and gain the confidence to, on their own, mix Kenneth Cole with Brooks Brothers and Lucky Jeans with Faconnable. We're showing the diversity within ourselves, causing the market to be a mixed bag. That's hard to market to, because you cannot peg your end user. A brand must have a contextual point-of-view and be clever enough to show it knows it will be worn with its peers."
Graj, an advisor to the likes of Timberland, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nat Nast, a high-end novelty sport shirt collection, argues the way to combat "mixed-bag mentality" is for sportswear collections to focus on what they do best. By doing that, they will gain an appreciative audience. Garments must have design brain and quality brawn behind them. Product extensions disparate from a brand's core message will not be for everybody. "Brands must be true to themselves," he said, "rather than come up with a formula concept that is fake. While we are all searching to fulfill ourselves, collections and consumers pretending to subscribe to a lifestyle is empty. Once you have a point of view and understand it, you can do anything."
As usual, when talking lifestyle, or product development, the market's point of reference will remain, for the third decade, Ralph Lauren.
"The mega-brand that blows my mind is Ralph Lauren," said Shafer. "From an academic brand-building perspective, how you can sell paint, jeans, $3,000 suits and khakis and still maintain a mystique for every element is just genius.
What ties it all together is that Ralph turns out tremendous product. Every piece of his puzzle has been put together by fabulous product."
Peter Levine, president of New York-based d/g consulting, describes current consumer thinking as a "flea market mentality." Consumers want personalization, customization and the rewards of discovering items on their own, said Levine. Price is not an issue when consumers find a garment, or accessory, that works for them -- as indicated trends of cross-channel shopping among Generation X shoppers, he added.
"When it comes to buying, things that just work are the most important," said Levine, who offers Zeitgeist analysis, and brand focus for companies like Brooks Brothers, Ethan Allen and Gatorade. "The idea will be to customize and mix what you have into a kit of parts that can adapt to what comes in and out of fashion. There's a real call to action where fashion and style meet functionality."
Men's sportswear will have to be on-trend, travel well and be, above all, comfortable.
"I'm not sure if it's my heritage, or my point of view," said Cuban-born, Florida-raised Eddie Rodriguez of Wilke-Rodriguez. "But we design for men who live around the world and think of him in terms of living around the world. His week may bring him to London, New York and Mexico City. He needs things that will be appropriate, versatile and comfortable for all those situations."
Brand name buzz never hurts. But brand extensions must remain close to a core identity. Or show a natural relationship between between core product and line extension. Think of Samsonite's gaining critical acclaim in fashion circles for combining its luggage leadership with a line of Italian-made, travel-ready designer accessories and sportswear. The same rules could apply to Gatorade and activewear; a line of gadget-friendly apparel for 3Com's Palm Pilot; Weber barbecues and a line of weekend wear.
"Brand transference will continue just in the way it has been," said Graj. "It's not something you can categorically answer, but some things are just cooler than others."
Branding consultants, Graj + Gustavsen and d/g have gained notoriety within the last two years -- and will continue to be integral in helping companies not only explore their branding options, but tie their big picture together in the '00s. Umbrella companies willing to assume infrastructure and manufacturing tasks and leave design to designers -- forming relationships as Wilke-Rodriguez did with Capital Mercury and Daryl K and Chloe did with Pegasus Apparel Group -- will create better business options for collection and designer sportswear and gain greater importance. Shafer and three partners formed BrandLab last year to serve as an enabler for boutique brands. Think of LVMH with a smaller aims for niche crowds. Thanks to the Internet, pockets of interest and its communities have gained strength by simply having easy access to one another. Shafer said: "You can find five people with common interests everywhere.
Thanks to the Web, they are now a buying group.
"If you say you want to only go after 15-year-olds who live for soccer and live in the Southwest, you identify these niches, create products and go after them. They are a viable buying group. Teens who love motocross, a sport gaining huge numbers, is another one. Girls who skateboard, that's another. There are plenty of ways to communicate with them now.
"The Internet has taught us more about BC Ethic's customer than anything else we've ever done. We used to sit around and hypothesize who our customer was and what his tastes are. Surprisingly, we found out his tastes were as eclectic as ours were."
Every six months, Levine issues an "It" list to help brands keep up with subtle changes in culture. His latest report claims live happenings have replaced company promotions; vanity is the new modesty; total health has taken precedence over simply dieting; and working smart is better than working hard.
One of Levine's areas of expertise is tracking generational buying trends. While he sees no discord among baby boomers, Generation Xers and Gen Yers, he does see distinct -- and noteworthy -- shopping profiles for each age group.
Thanks to their sheer numbers, baby boomers will still serve as a marketplace's epicenter. As they age, they will not be the same old men and women their parents were, nor drift into old age, he said. They will be more active and products must address how they either contribute to, or relate to, longevity.
Generation X, today's dot-com power structure, will return to the days of opulence and status that characterized the 1980s, the days of their youth, according to Levine. Brought up on supermodels and Dynasty, this group likes luxe items and the finest money can buy.
Attention towards Gen Y is growing, he said. They are the "New Hippies," embracing fair and civic-minded causes and tribal families, which include more friends than blood relatives. They want the world to be happy and treated right.
"What ties these groups together will be that their purchases will be weighted by wisdom and education," said Levine. "And relationships goes with this. They are picking products and brands they want to have relationships with. Picture each consumer as a party. If they pick you, it's like you are invited into their life."
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