There’s no denying the fact that the menswear market is tough, with independents in the sector slipping away every week. Still, this hasn’t stopped Whistles from moving into the category, with the contemporary fashion retailer previewing its first menswear collection last week.

There’s no denying the fact that the menswear market is tough, with independents in the sector slipping away every week. Still, this hasn’t stopped Whistles from moving into the category, with the contemporary fashion retailer previewing its first menswear collection last week.

From September, there won’t just be chic skirts, shift dresses and biker jackets hanging off the rails at selected Whistles stores; across the room there’ll be menswear pieces such as knitwear, leather jackets and trainers.

It’s a brave new world for Whistles, which under the helm of former Topshop supremo Jane Shepherdson, has turned into one of the most covetable mid-market fashion retailers on the high street with a very loyal following.

Still, can Shepherdson turn her hand to menswear? It’s not an easy category to break into, as seen by the many that have tried and failed. My-Wardrobe ditched its menswear brands from spring 13 to concentrate solely on womenswear, while both Monsoon and Nicole Farhi have both failed to crack the market.

While the pieces it has previewed are trend-led and of the usual Whistles’ good quality, the challenge lies in getting men to walk through its doors. It’s going to take a lot to shift men’s perceptions of Whistles being a womenwear store. But for those men whose partners are fans of the brand’s stylish wares – and have perhaps waited while they’ve browsed the store and tried on clothes – and are already familiar with the Whistles brand, they may well be excited that their partners’ favourite store is also set to cater for them in the future.

There’s a definite sense of excitement around menswear at the moment – just look at how important London Collections: Men has become on the London Fashion Week calendar. Combine this with the fact that according to Verdict the menswear sector is set to grow by 25.7% in the five years to 2019, outperforming all other clothing categories, and perhaps Whistles is bang on with recognising that now is the right time to cash in on the menswear industry.  

  • Suzanne Bearne is a freelance journalist specialising in fashion, retail and travel. She can be found tweeting at @sbearne