Dean Clements models clothing outside of Hanover Blue. Popular men’s clothing items include fabrics that are stretchable, breathable and lightweight.Men may never be the self-described shopaholics many women are when it comes to clothing, but what if technology could be added to the mix?
Not laptops and smartphones, technology that makes online ordering easy; we’re talking technology built into clothing.
“All of the new [clothing] lines – shorts, pants, shirts, underwear, jeans – they all have some type of technology in them to keep you cool and to keep you dry,” says Anita Headrick, owner of men’s clothing store Hanover Blue in North Chattanooga.
“Men love the science behind this stuff,” she says. “A lot of engineers shop with us.”
To understand recent innovations in fashion, you have to look beyond the designers sending models down the runway and look to manufacturers pushing out new fabrics, Headrick says. The trend in men’s clothing is toward pieces that have stretch and movability and that are lightweight and breathable.
“A man wants to be able to go straight from work to the golf course,” she says. “They like being able to have a dress shirt that looks beautiful with a great pair of khakis that they can throw on a sport coat and go to the country club and it feels comfortable.”
One of the brands she carries, Fisher + Baker, for instance, offers a half-dozen “technically advanced” fabrics, including drirelease, DownTek and PrimaLoft Gold, considered “the benchmark in performance of all synthetic insulations,” according to the company. The fabric hits five markers of desirability: It’s fast-drying, windproof, water-resistant, breathable and offers odor control.
Houston Clements models clothing outside of Hanover Blue. Popular men’s clothing items include fabrics that are stretchable, breathable and lightweight.Another brand, Southern Tide, announced a new brand partnership earlier this year with brrr°, a cooling performance fabric that is proven to draw heat and moisture away from the skin. The new innovation’s “Triple Chill Effect” was introduced in the brand’s spring/summer men’s collection.
“Each season, Southern Tide looks to provide its customers with the latest in style, fabrication and innovation,” Southern Tide CEO Christopher Heyn said in a news release. “Each of our partnerships are strategically curated to put the customers’ needs at the forefront, and brrr°’s pioneering innovation will better expand our performance-wear offerings.”
Headrick welcomes the innovations that are transforming menswear. After buying the 7-year-old store last year, she has learned that men are “pickier than picky” when it comes to their clothing selections. They’ll forgo style for comfort and convenience.
“If a man puts something on that’s itchy or doesn’t fit just right, he won’t wear it. If anything on it is uncomfortable, men don’t want it,” she says.
As for women, “we will put something on that’s almost making us bleed, but if it’s a good deal or we think we look good in it, we will suffer through it.”