Intimo più mare n° 199 - Marzo 2015

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
believes that men’s fashions are evolving today based on movements
in the society and the image that men want to project in
these contexts. For men fashion represents a way of affirming their
social status and creating their own style. “Men buy less items but
of higher quality” explained Virginie Kollmann-Caillet in a study she
conducted for the Salon de la Lingerie in Paris which set up a special
customized devoted to the men entitled, Super Heroes. "When
it comes to underwear they are primarily interested in the functional
aspect and long wear. They tend to rely primarily on large,
well-known brands, which on the one hand are the expression of
a certain purchase power, but also the guarantee of sure value.
The increase in the number of collections has brought with it a desire
for a more authentic approach. Rather than slavishly following
every trend that comes down the pike, men try to create a style that
represents them. The new generations, the younger men, are the
ones responsible for the current evolution on the fashion landscape
which thanks to them combines seduction, comfort, innovation
and confirmation of a style. And the boon in the new technologies,
in intelligent fabrics and the change in mentality are opening new
opportunities for the men’s intimate apparel market”.
The men of theY generation
In the wake of the X generation, the 2.0 generation, and as we wait
for the Z generation, the men responsible for the current change
belong to the Y Generation. A conference presented by Benoît Wojtenka,
co-founder of BonneGueule.fr with the participation of Eric
Briones (Darkplanneur), the head of strategic planning for Publicis
EtNous and the co-author of Génération Y et le luxe, Régis Pennel,
the founder of L’exception.com, Nicolas Gabard, founder of Husbands,
illustrated the various different types of Y consumer.
Just who are these Y men?
They are aged between 14 and 34, which is to say that they were
born between 1980 and 2000. Involved (in social causes, in some
sort of ecological or political battle), multi-connected, free of complexes,
forming activist groups, but individualists at heart: these are
the distinguishing characteristics of this generation. They are fond
of selecting their own clothing, but are more concerned with developing
a style than following trends, making an effort to actually
understand fashion. They have no faith in politics as a means of improving
the world. They are open to luxury but inclined to criticize.
The shopping behavior of Y men
Y Generation men want to know what they are purchasing; the
product has to have the right price, especially in relation to the
quality it offers: a good product with a good price. He is sensitive
to quality, but also aware of trends and the issue of design.
He doesn’t want to spend his money on marketing fluff; the price
consideration is of enormous importance. He is not inclined to
pay unless he feels he is getting his money’s worth. He is eager
to have as much information as possible about what he is buying.
The product should provide education, not just information.
Everything has to be connected, from the manufacturing to the
actual purchase. It should tell a story. Give rise to thought. Y men
display a high level of curiosity and the brands want to provide answers.
Up until now the advertising campaigns conducted by the
brands have provided little substantial communication regarding
the actual product. Y man does not systematically renew his wardrobe.
Another new development is the proximity, the confidence
that must be established between the consumer and the brand.
The luxury brands should not be inaccessible, but provide access
and customization, passion, honesty, quality and fun. The Y man
is the one who currently boasts the greatest purchase power and
he will continue to be the primary target of the luxury brands from
now until 2020. By focusing on targeting the Y man, it is possible
to appeal to all the other generations. He has no moral compunctions
when it comes to luxury, as opposed to the X Generation man.
For the Y Generation man luxury is synonymous with perfect shopping,
perfect buying, free of guilt, based on intelligent utilization.
The majority of young men are not ashamed to purchase a luxury
product, although they express doubts about the term and are nevertheless
still interested in low-cost products. The age of accessible
luxury is over because these products lack the allure of genuine
luxury. The Y man, however, insists on testing and checking the
value of the product, knowing how he spends his money and luxury
must operate in terms of micro-actions of generosity associated
with the purchase. Although he clearly loathes marketing it is in
his DNA. The realm of luxury must therefore reinvent itself. For the
Y man everything is concrete and associated with the product. In
this context fast fashion represents a return to the great classics.
How is one to communicate effectively with the Y man? And how
is it possible to enable the brick-and-mortar stores to coexist with
the Internet, the channel where this generation currently does most
of its purchasing? Burberry, for example, in its flagship store has
already integrated it. The opportunity is provided by the synergy
between advertising and brand content for explaining the value of
the product, coupled by the retail outlet where the shopper happens
to be the best ally of this synergy. Men are no longer purchasing
in order to demonstrate their status, but rather in order to
affirm their personality. Frequently men will walk into a store to find
something they already have in mind. The price has to be part of
the information and the most crucial key is customer service. The
Internet comes before a purchase made in a store and men are becoming
increasingly inclined to make their actual purchases in the
physical space of a store. In 2001 on purchase out of every 2 men’s
clothing purchases were made by women. Now the proportion has
skyrocketed to 8 purchases made by men out of 10. “Y men want
to know where a product comes from”, explained Régis Pennel, at
the conference. “This is the most significant factor in the evolution
of the product. Today’s consumers need to understand what they
are buying better and consequently even stores have to redefine
them and reinvent themselves, as they make as effort to include
less well-known brands that offer good value in terms of the pricequality
ratio. This is the only way the brick-and-mortar stores will be
able to stay in existence. They have to ignite the shoppers’ imagination
and kindle dreams with a carefully selected array of products
in an effort to generate a story. They have to rekindle the shoppers’
desire to purchase. The young designers like the Y man because
they can identify with their vision of style. Y men find that it makes
more sense to buy these collections by relative newcomers rather
than those of established luxury brands because they don’t feel like
the price goes to financing costly advertising campaigns. When it
comes to shopping behavior women are famous for their tendency
to make impulse purchases; men, on the other hand think things
over and evaluate such rational factors as how low an item is likely
to last. Men purchase some 60-70% of their wardrobes during
end-of-season sales. Women shop and make purchases throughout
the course of the year. Men must bee assisted when they are
shopping and this service must be personalized”.
The Manufacturers’ Point of View
Moving right out into the field, we asked a number of especially
representative manufacturers who their ideal shoppers would be
and whether the type of people they are targeting purchase exclusively
their underwear, hosiery and pajamas and what they prefer.
Matteo Restelli (Manifattura di Valduggia/Ragno)
For us pining down in a precise manner what an average consumer
of our products would be is very difficult as we have a farranging
array of products suitable for a highly mixed target. More
specifically, we are able to satisfy the needs of young consumers,
concerned with fashion trends, with the Forniture Militari by Ragno
line while, at the same time, we are equally capable of appealing to
those in quest of high-end products with our Julipet and Trussardi
lines, exclusive products that combine top quality primary materials,
scrupulous study of the garment in order to offer maximum
comfort to the wearer. And, last but not least, there’s the high-end
Ragno line with its high-performance products: Kontakt extra skin,
SilKotton mercerized cotton and WSK.