The State of Menswear
By: Mari Davis

DALLAS, Nov 30, 2005/ FW/ --- ‘Despite a slight downturn in some Western market revenues (coinciding with global economic slowdown, the U.S. market remains the largest in the world and Europe continues to fend Asia-Pacific for the time being,’ according to the ‘Menswear: Global Industry Guide,’ a white paper by MarketResearch.com published November 7, 2005.

Meanwhile, as the holiday shopping season sweeps the U.S., comScore forecasted that online holiday sales will jingle to the tune of more than $19 billion this year, with apparel & accessories accounting for $8.973 billion while jewelry & watches will ring up $1.147 billion, an increase of 36% and 32%, respectively, compared to last year.

And though the state of menswear is not gloomy, it is not on its brightest side either, as the industry faces more challenges, one of them being the cheap labor provided by China in terms of apparel manufacturing.

So, once again, the industry is faced with a double-edged sword: Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market for luxury goods, but it is also becoming a competitor for manufacturing and production.

The global market for menswear has been dictated largely by the phenomenal growth in sales across Asia-Pacific and the reforms made by the World Trade Organization to scrap the Multi-Fiber Agreement and its associated import quotas.

Europe is still considered the main hub of menswear, where fashion innovations and styles are shown on the runway every six months, as will happen this January when the Fall 2006 menswear season kicks off in both Milan and Paris.

While Milan and Paris dominates the creativity, key players for distribution and marketing are scattered all over the world, which includes Onward Kashiyama, Sara Lee, Levi Strauss, VF Corporation, Marks & Spencer and Otto.