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<br /> If you are a bit conscious about the global fashion industry you know how fast forward it is. Prior to six months, even before the season commences, the style is ready. That’s how it works everywhere. The runway trend of October will trickle down to the manufacturers in a month. And by March, the <keyword id="118206" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="chanel">Chanel</keyword> sling bag that won loud applause at <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword> in autumn will be sold at the retail outlets of <keyword id="6354539" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dubai">Dubai</keyword>.<br />
<br />
But did you ever wonder who are the brains behind the fashion at shows and stores? Where do these designers get ideas from? The designers conceptualize and design but there must be someone who ideates the outline.<br />
<br />
Meet trendsetter called WGSN or the World Global Style Network. With 350 plus staffs, and 14 offices including one in India, WGSN is the world’s leading trendsetter in fashion.<br />
<br />
The subscriber based business of WGSN has 70,000 members who are directly dependent on it for fashion trend alerts. Amongst the KRAs of WGSN are streamlining the patterns, colours, motifs of the season. So, the designers, colourists, merchandiser, all WGSN subscribers get to know about every aspect of fashion much ahead of time.<br />
<br />
The work culture of WGSN is also quite ahead of time. If you check with the senior editors of the company, you would know that for them its already the spring of 2018 when jute-soled espadrilles might be in style.<br />
<br />
Not only designers, WGSN’s major chunk of clientele also includes big brands in fashion. While the customers depend on blogs and magazines for fashion updates, brands rely on WGSN for similar reasons.<br />
<br /> We chatted with Anupreet <keyword id="359486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhui">Bhui</keyword>, Senior Editor, Street Style WGSN in India and this is what she has to say about Indian fashion.<br />
<br />
“More and more urban Indian youth is travelling, socially aware and well connected with antennas picking up trends all across the globe. Having said that, there is also an influx of foreign brands rapidly expanding in retail in the Indian domestic market. All these factors have actually enabled to shrink the gap and help align global trends increasingly with the Indian taste and style.”<br />
<br />
<strong>Fashion forecast for India</strong><br />
“While Men’s silhouettes and fits move towards keeping in step with international trends, women explore styles that are definitely in tune with global trends but dialing down in terms of skin exposure,” Bhui told Business Insider.<br />
<br />
“India is a prints market with already a rich heritage of patterns and designs. The consumers love their prints that are alive. Floral, geometric leaning more towards a happier colour mix are mostly a preference. Indian consumers love colour. Saturated and bright hues always win with women,” she said.

Here's the secret company who decides what will be in fashion every
season

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Photo by Matthew Hatcher for The Washington Post via Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">More discounts have been popping up at Lululemon.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/lululemon">Lululemon</a> has traditionally kept discounting to a minimum, but new data shows that in the past year the level and depth of its discounting has crept up.</li><li>Analysts say this is a concerning trend that could impact the company's margins down the line, which could knock its share price.</li><li>While the discounting hasn't impacted margins yet, "promotional intensity bears watching," a group of Bernstein analysts wrote in a note to clients on Monday.</li><li><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru">Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Lululemon has famously been discount-light, and analysts say it's a key reason behind its success. </p><p>"Lululemon's price integrity is another reason for its outperformance," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">Retail</keyword>, wrote in a note to clients in June 2018, after the company reported strong quarterly earnings results. "Promotional periods notwithstanding, products are not discounted, and customers know they must pay the full price if they want the product."</p><p>By avoiding heavy discounting, Lululemon is able to keep its margins high, hitting nearly 20% on average over the past five years. That makes it more similar to a luxury brand than a traditional apparel retailer, according to a note from a group of Bernstein analysts sent to clients on Monday.  </p><p>But according to these analysts, who cited data from WSGN, Lululemon has shifted away from this pricing strategy in recent months and ramped up the level and depth of its discounting, which they see as a concerning trend.</p><p>According to WSGN, the number of discounted products at Lululemon has crept up steadily since 2016, hitting 50% in July, August, and September of this year. In 2018, an average of 39% of Lululemon's products were on sale; in 2019 so far, 47% of products have been on sale on average. The average percent markdown year-to-date in 2019 is 22%, compared to 20% in the same period of 2018, according to Bernstein.</p><p>While the analysts said that this discounting hasn't had a material impact on Lululemon's margins yet, as it's been able to offset them with supply-chain improvements, it could impact its share price in the longer term.</p><p>"If the brand becomes more promotional, we believe it will be difficult for Lululemon to sustain its margin profile, which in turn may put the stock at risk of derating," the analysts wrote, cautioning that its "promotional intensity bears watching."</p><p>A spokesperson for Lululemon was not available to comment but directed Business Insider to a recent <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/29/lululemons-calvin-mcdonald-menswear-line-will-grow-with-awareness.html">CNBC</a> interview with CEO Calvin McDonald where he denied that the level of promotions had increased.</p><p>"We have never used pricing or promotional activity to drive our topline business," he told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/10/29/watch-cnbcs-full-interview-with-lululemon-ceo-calvin-mcdonald.html">CNBC's Courtney Reagan</a>. "We always remain focused on product innovation as a way to delight the guest and to grow our topline business; there has been no change to that approach this quarter or from a year-to-date basis."</p><p>Heavy discounting is one of the biggest issues to have plagued the retail industry in recent times. Stores are increasingly leaning on promotions as a way to bring customers in the door, and while this might work in the short term, it ultimately makes it harder to convince customers to pay full price again. Gap is one of the biggest offenders here.</p><p>Markdowns can also destroy a brand's image and make its products seem less desirable. Several <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-kors-gap-and-ralph-lauren-cut-discounts-2018-1">luxury brands</a> have publicly announced that they are pulling inventory out of some department stores where their items can end up in the clearance racks.</p><p>Bernstein offered one possible explanation for why Lululemon might have changed its discounting strategy and that is that it could be increasing discounting as it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lululemon-grows-beyond-womens-yoga-pants-2019-3?r=US&amp;IR=T#launching-an-amazon-prime-style-membership-4">expands into new categories</a> and rolls out new products. According to Bernstein's research, there was an average of 690 products listed on its website in 2018 versus 920 year-to-date in 2019.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-effect-how-retailer-gets-you-spend-more-money-2018-10">Target just released its Black Friday ad. Here's how 'The Target Effect' gets customers to spend more money than they were expecting.</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Lululemon is offering more discounts than usual, and Wall Street says it's a concerning trend

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider/Jessica Tyler</span></p><p class="caption">Zara rolls out limited stock to create demand.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/zara">Zara</a> is one of the few established brick-and-mortar apparel companies to be thriving in today's competitive fast-fashion climate. Its parent company, Inditex, reported a <a href="http://footwearnews.com/2018/business/earnings/inditex-full-year-profits-report-zara-518395/">7% increase in profits</a> in 2017 and saw continued sales growth in its most recent quarter. </strong></li><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/hm">H&amp;M</a>, on the other hand, has struggled in recent months, with operating profit <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-hm-business-is-struggling-201804">dropping 62%</a> in the first quarter of 2018. In June, it reported flat sales growth for the second straight quarter. </strong></li><li><strong>According to a recent report by fashion forecaster WSGN, Zara's success in keeping up with online players such as ASOS and Boohoo comes down to its strategy for rolling out new items in lower quantities to create demand.</strong></li></ul><p>Zara has a unique strategy to compete with online fast-fashion players, and it proves that if done right, brick-and-mortar <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> can still thrive.</p><p>The emergence of online players such as ASOS and Boohoo has meant that consumers have the choice of browsing  thousands of new products online every day, putting immense pressure on brick-and-mortar stores to keep up.</p><p>Social media has created a generation of shoppers who are obsessed with newness.</p><p>"They want new and they want it now," Nivindya Sharma, director of retail strategy and insights at fashion forecaster WSGN, wrote in a recent report entitled "Fashion Retail: New Measures of Success."</p><p>Rather than jumping on the bandwagon and pilling up its stores with new items to keep up, Zara has created its own set of rules, and it seems to be working: it's now one of the few bright spots in brick-and-mortar apparel. Its parent company, Inditex, reported a <a href="http://footwearnews.com/2018/business/earnings/inditex-full-year-profits-report-zara-518395/">7% increase in profits</a> in 2017 and saw continued sales growth in its most recent quarter.</p><p>Meanwhile, one of its main competitors, H&amp;M, has struggled in recent months, with operating profit<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-hm-business-is-struggling-201804"> dropping 62%</a> in the first quarter of 2018 and reporting its second straight quarter of flat sales growth earlier in June. </p><p>According to Sharma, Zara keeps up in the race by rolling out a limited amount of new stock at any one time to create demand. </p><p>"By bringing in regular but low volumes of products (compared to its peers), Zara not only maintains regular levels of newness but creates 'perceived scarcity,' thereby creating demand for its newness," Sharma wrote. </p><p>Zara also updates its store layout regularly to create a fresh experience for shoppers each time. This means you'll find window displays and mannequins switched around more often, even if the product assortment isn't necessarily changing. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Zara</span></p><p class="caption">Zara is known for its stylish editorial shots online.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>On its online platform, it keeps customers excited with "beautifully shot" editorials and communicates news about new products regularly, which, in turn, "breeds desire and generates urgency among consumers to visit regularly," she said.</p><p>These tactics are what keep shoppers excited without the company having to drown itself in excessive amounts of new inventory. </p><p>H&amp;M has fallen victim to this. Once hailed as the king of fast-fashion retail, the store's sales number have increasingly come under pressure as more nimble online players swoop in and poach customers. As a result, the retailer has been left in an inventory crisis with around <a href="https://about.hm.com/content/dam/hmgroup/groupsite/documents/en/cision/2018/03/2145888_en.pdf">$4 billion of unsold clothes</a>. This number includes new items on their way to stores as well as clearance items.</p><p>According to Sharma, Zara's most effective strategy comes down to its management of markdowns, which run at the opposite time of when it brings in new products.</p><p>"When Zara discounts heavily, it doesn't bring in huge volumes of new products; and when it brings in new products, it doesn't discount heavily - thereby creating a clear signaling pattern to consumers that ensures reactivity," she said. </p><p>"As Zara discounts only strategically and for limited periods, it maintains price integrity, thereby imbuing its new-ins with more value," she continued. </p><p>This, in turn, makes these items more desirable and more likely to be snatched up quickly by customers.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sara-blakely-spanx-ceo-offers-advice-redefine-failure-retail-2016-7">Learning to celebrate failure at a young age led to this billionaire's success</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The biggest difference between Zara and H&M explains why one is thriving while the other is flailing

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-small"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Zara</span></p><p class="caption">Zara is selling this tie-dye dress for $89.90.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Tie-dye is having a comeback.</strong></li><li>In the 1960s, tie-dye was seen as a symbol of the counterculture and a way to express freedom and individuality.</li><li>Experts say we can draw parallels to today. </li></ul><p>In its heyday in the 1960s, tie-dye was seen as a symbol of the counterculture, a way to escape from the strict social norms of the 1950s and express freedom and individuality.</p><p>It's currently making a comeback in fashion, and experts say there are clear political and social parallels to be made with the 1960s.  </p><p>"In the Trump era when right-wing politics is so loud, I think tie-dye can be viewed as a peaceful, but defiant protest against conservatives," R13 denim founder Chris Leba recently told <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/shows-trends/a25945717/tie-dye-is-back-for-2019-and-this-is-why/"><span>Harper's Bazaar</span></a>.</p><p>He added: "There are a lot of similarities in terms of the backdrop then and now. In the 60s, we had Nixon in the White House with students protesting against the conservative right. Now we have Trump in the White House with women, immigrants and the LGBQ community fighting for their rights." </p><p>It's not only the politics of the government, however. This trend can also be seen as a reaction to the social politics of the day, specifically the #MeToo movement. </p><p>The #MeToo movement has been one of the leading influences in fashion over the past two years. It initially saw designers turn to darker, more somber shades.</p><p>This was "a sure-fire design formula that contrasted with the uncertainty consumers were dealing with in real life," Florence Allday, a beauty and fashion research analyst<span> at Euromonitor, told Business Insider.</span></p><p>Allday said that #MeToo changed the face of fashion and subsequently brought a more daring and free-spirited approach to design. Tie-dye is reflective of this, she said, a sign of "putting the trauma of recent events in the industry behind us."</p><p>While the tie-dye colors of 2019 are certainly more muted than in the past, they are in keeping with a movement to bring more color to fashion. </p><p>"The pendulum swings from one extreme to another," WSGN catwalks director Lizzy Bowring recently told Business Insider. We "can't keep wearing black to make a message."</p><h2>Rebelling against fast fashion</h2><p>Consumers are increasingly shifting toward more sustainable shopping - buying secondhand or even renting clothing - as they become <span>more conscious about sustainable living and preserving the environment. Because of this, </span><span>a rebellion against fast fashion is brewing. </span></p><p><span><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-fashion-trends-for-year-2019-1">Experts say this is what everyone will be wearing in 2019</a></em></span></p><p>"There is an increasing trend amongst influencers and bloggers to stop with the 'haul' videos and follow the 'no-buy' movement, i.e. stop pandering to the fast fashion cycle and buy second hand or not at all," Allday said.</p><p>Tie-dye fits neatly into this rebellion.</p><p>It has "positive connotations of the hippie movement and crucially, pre-fast fashion," Allday said. "It is a way of recycling/upcycling clothes that can be done by people of all ages."</p><p><span>It's somewhat ironic, therefore, that the tie-dye trend has been picked up by fast-fashion retailers. <a href="https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/search-results.html?q=tie-dye">H&amp;M</a>, <a href="https://www.zara.com/us/en/search?searchTerm=tie-dye">Zara</a>, <a href="https://www.abercrombie.com/shop/us/search?departmentCategoryId=10000&amp;searchTerm=tie-dye">Abercrombie</a>, <a href="https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/search?q=tie-dye">Urban Outfitters</a> are all using the print in their current collections. </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/search-results.html?q=tie-dye">H&amp;M</a></span></p><p class="caption">Tie-dye clothes being sold by H&amp;M.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Moreover, tie-dye affords more individuality in dressing. </span>The process of tie-dying clothing - tying up portions of the fabric with waxed thread so that they will not absorb the dye - means that no piece is the same. This is something that can be lacking in fashion these days, Kavita Kumari, a specialist print-and-dye technician at London College of Fashion, told Harper's Bazaar.</p><p>"The re-birth of tie-dye has actually provided individuals with the opportunity to reclaim some of their personal identity without looking like clones of one another," she said.</p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail-ai?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen_future-of-retail-ai"></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-product-naming-system-meaning-2017-10">Here's the meaning behind all of those obscure IKEA product names</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Tie-dye is making a comeback, and experts say it's thanks to a turbulent political climate

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider/Jessica Tyler</span></p><p class="caption">Streetwear brand Supreme is very popular with young people.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Menswear is very much in vogue.</li><li><a href="https://www.l2inc.com/research/fashion-us-menswear">Business intelligence firm Gartner L2</a> estimates that sales of menswear will outpace those of womenswear over the next two years.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nike">Nike</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/lululemon">Lululemon</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/madewell">Madewell</a> have all rolled out new menswear collections in recent months. </li></ul><p>Menswear is having its moment in the spotlight. </p><p>This week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-new-yoga-clothing-cheaper-than-lululemon-2019-1">Nike launched its new collection of yoga wear for men</a>. While this was the company's first foray into men's yoga apparel, the move was very much in line with competitors who have been making a push into the menswear apparel market recently. </p><p>Lululemon, whose bread and butter has long been women's yoga pants, is one of those competitors. Former CEO <span>Laurent Potdevin described</span> menswear as one of the brand's "best-kept secrets." The company is now looking to grow this division into a billion-dollar business.</p><p>Gap Inc. also jumped on the bandwagon last year, with its new casual menswear brand Hill City.</p><p>But a push into menswear stretches beyond the athleticwear market - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/madewell-mens-collection-review-2018-9">Madewell rolled out menswear</a> in September, Saks Fifth Avenue recently closed its womenswear store in Brookfield Place but kept its menswear location open, sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen launched their own menswear collection for fashion brand The Row last year, and the list continues. </p><p>These brands are all looking to capitalize on a big change in fashion, and that is that in the not-too distant future, menswear may outgrow womenswear. </p><p><a href="https://www.l2inc.com/research/fashion-us-menswear">Business intelligence firm Gartner L2</a> <span style="font-weight: 400;"> estimated that in just two years, revenue growth of men's clothing will surpass that of women's clothing. This data is backed up by <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/luxury-menswear-growth-to-outpace-womenswear">Euromonitor International,</a> which estimated that<span> men's lines will outperform women's over the next six years. </span></span><span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span></span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span></span></span></p><h2><strong>Where did it start?</strong></h2><p>"Fashion has always been about women but men are finally having their time," Lizzy Bowring, catwalk director at trend-forecasting agency WSGN, told Business Insider. </p><p>Bowring believes that the rise of a young, fashion-conscious male consumer is a key reason for this. </p><p>"It's the younger men that are driving the push for menswear," she said. "These men are more savvy and aware, and there is a lot of competition to look the part."</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Ayako Homma, beauty and fashion consultant at Euromonitor International, echoed these thoughts in an email to Business Insider.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span> "One key trend is men's changing perception of fashion. Men are spending more time, effort and money on their grooming and appearance," she wrote.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Nike</span></p><p class="caption">Nike has a new yoga collection for men.</p></div><p></p></div></div> </span></span>Experts say that this peak in menswear can be traced back to a boom in streetwear clothing, which has been driven by brands such as Supreme, Yeezy, and Off-White. These brands have experienced explosive growth in recent years and are considered to be redefining the fashion landscape.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kanye-west-made-yeezy-brand-a-success-2018-4">Kanye West's secret to building a footwear empire to compete with Nike</a></em></p><p>These labels have been embraced by luxury players, a move that has in turn given new life to some of the luxury brands. </p><p>Louis Vuitton recently hired industry pro Virgil<span> Abloh to become its new artistic director. Abloh is responsible for setting up perhaps the buzziest streetwear brand of all, Off-White, which was recently ranked the hottest label in the world. </span></p><p>"The men's business has exploded in the last five years," Roopal Patel, fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, told Reuters in <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N1TR4PV">June</a>. Patel said the focus has shifted to bringing in newer menswear-focused labels such as Off-White. </p><p>"We've gone from just category addressing to really designers looking at how they're going to wardrobe a man's lifestyle, everything from work to evening to weekend to sport," she said. </p><p>Industry insiders say this trend is here to stay. </p><p>"It's more than a buzz. It's a deeper trend," <span>Sidney Toledano</span>, head of LVMH's fashion group, told Reuters.</p><p>He continued: "There's strong demand across the men's fashion industry, in all its shapes and forms, and which comes in part from a younger clientele. We see it very clearly in the sales."</p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail-ai?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen_future-of-retail-ai"></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-facts-ceo-doug-mcmillon-walton-family-2019-1">11 things you probably didn't know about Walmart</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Nike, Lululemon, and Gap want to cash in on a major trend of men caring more about their appearance

<p>Here's New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his 34-year-old girlfriend Ricki Lander arriving at today's AFC championship game in Denver.</p>
<p>The sunglasses, the blue suit, the sneakers, the beautiful girlfriend.</p>
<p>Perfect.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Kraftin' <a href="http://t.co/WsGN2numpM">pic.twitter.com/WsGN2numpM</a></p>
- Eric Kay (@ekaycbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/ekaycbs/statuses/424988477059395584">January 19, 2014</a></blockquote>

An Epic Photo Of Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Arriving At The Broncos-Pats Game

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Hill City</span></p><p class="caption">Hill City offers stylish, high-performance wear.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/gap">Gap</a> launched its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gap-mens-athletic-clothing-line-launches-2018-9">new menswear athletic brand, Hill City,</a> in October.</strong></li><li><strong>Described as stylish high-performance wear, Hill City's clothing ranges from water-repellant everyday pants that cost $128 to insulated puffer jackets for $168. </strong></li><li><strong>Noah Palmer, who heads up the brand, explained in an interview with Business Insider how Hill City is primed to capitalize on the continued boom in athletic wear, outdoorsy clothing, and more recently, men taking more of an interest in shopping.</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Gap is channeling a trendy, Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic in its new menswear brand. </p><p>Launched in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gap-mens-athletic-clothing-line-launches-2018-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">October</a>, Hill City promises to offer a mix of stylish high-performance wear for men. With an average <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gap-mens-athletic-clothing-line-launches-2018-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">price point that sits at around $80</a>, the clothing ranges from water-repellant chinos for $128 to insulated puffer jackets for $168. It is unlike anything consumers have seen from the company before.</p><p>This brand seems to perfectly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/old-navy-splits-off-from-gap-2019-2">encapsulate the intentions of Gap and its newly formed company, currently known as NewCo</a>, which comprises its higher-priced, more sustainability-focused brands: Gap, Banana Republic, Intermix, Athleta, and, most recently, Hill City.</p><p>Meanwhile, its lower-cost brand, Old Navy, is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/old-navy-splits-off-from-gap-2019-2">going out on its own</a> to appeal to a different set of customers.</p><h2>Hill City is a more minimalist and trendy look from Gap </h2><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Hill City</span></p><p class="caption">Hill City's thermal light bomber retails for $168.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p>Noah Palmer, formerly head of men's merchandising at Old Navy and currently the head of Hill City, told Businsess Insider that the new brand's unique selling point lies in its ability to offer high-performance clothing that looks good, in the spirit of its tagline: "<span style="color: #000000;">Men's clothes that get you through all the activities of your day without having to change clothes."</span><span style="color: #000000;"></span></p><p>"There are a bunch of brands that are doing sport or high-performance really well, but, as a customer, I don't think they look very cool," he said. "The fabrics are really techy, slinky, and noisy." </p><p>Outdoorsy brands have experienced a boom in recent years, and today, you're as likely to see North Face's extreme winter jackets or a Patagonia fleece gracing the streets of New York City as you are to find them on the backs of an explorer on the side of a mountain. </p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-north-face-win-urban-hiker-trend-2019-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">Urbanites are dropping hundreds of dollars on hiking clothes - and it's fueling explosive success for Patagonia and The North Face</a></em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>The North Face/Tim Kemple</span></p><p class="caption">The North Face, which is owned by VF Corp., parent company of Lee, Wrangler, and Vans, has transitioned from being seen as a purely practical brand to one that makes a fashion statement.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>A spokesperson for Patagonia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-practical-clothing-habits-threaten-forever-21-hm-2018-3">recently</a> told Business Insider that sales have quadrupled in the past 10 years, but wouldn't divulge exact figures because it's a private company. According to The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/07/the-north-face-patagonia-saving-world-one-puffer-jacket-at-a-time">Guardian</a>, the company had an estimated $800 million in sales in 2016, which was twice as much as in 2010.</span></p><p><span>Similarly, The North Face, which is owned by VF Corp., parent company of Lee, Wrangler, and Vans, has seen growth in recent years as it has transitioned from being seen a purely practical brand to one that makes a fashion statement. </span></p><p><span>As it reported in its most recent earnings results, The North Face's <a href="https://ir.vfc.com/press-releases/detail/1675/vf-reports-third-quarter-fiscal-2019-results-raises-full">US revenue grew</a> by 15% for the quarter and by 8% for the first nine months of 2018 on a constant-currency basis.</span></p><p>Palmer said that Hill City is bridging the gap between these high-performance brands that have been seen as more fashionable in recent years with more lifestyle-focused clothing. </p><p><span>He said that more lifestyle-focused competitors are lacking some of the technical elements in the clothing that Hill City provides. Take its chinos, for example, which look stylish enough to be worn for work but are completely water-repellant, or its bomber jackets that have lightweight and breathable insulation that promises to regulate body temperature whatever the weather. </span></p><p>But Hill City is entering the market at a time when athleisure powerhouse Lululemon is doubling down on its menswear offering. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lululemon-grows-beyond-womens-yoga-pants-2019-3">Recently, the company announced strong fourth-quarter and full-year sales results</a> that sent its share price soaring and confirmed that it is on track to grow its newly formed menswear category into a $1 billion business by 2020.</p><p>"Men's is one of our largest and most exciting areas of future growth," Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald told investors in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lululemon-grows-beyond-womens-yoga-pants-2019-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">March</a>.</p><p>Palmer doesn't seem to be too fazed by this.</p><p><span>"There is a rising tide when you think about menswear, and everyone has a little bit of a different vantage point on it," he said.</span></p><p><span>"From the beginning, we have seen our role in the market is pulling those two opposite ends in the spectrum [lifestyle and performance wear] closer together."</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-lululemon-gap-invest-in-mens-clothing-2019-1">Nike, Lululemon, and Gap want to cash in on a major trend of men caring more about their appearance</a></em></p><p>While Gap does not divulge the financials of its smaller brands, group CEO Art Peck said in a recent earnings call that feedback for Hill City has been positive so far and that the company has been able to take advantage of the millions of customers that come to Gap's main e-commerce platform to bring new eyes to the brand.  </p><h2>Menswear is the new womenswear </h2><p>Palmer is perhaps most excited by a shift toward men generally spending more on clothes.</p><p>"M<span>en are caring increasingly more about what they wear and what it says about them. They are willing to spend more of their disposable income on apparel," he said. </span></p><p><span><a href="https://www.l2inc.com/research/fashion-us-menswear">Business-intelligence firm Gartner L2</a> estimated that in just two years, revenue growth of men's clothing will surpass that of women's clothing. This data is backed up by <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/luxury-menswear-growth-to-outpace-womenswear">Euromonitor International,</a> which estimated that men's lines will outperform women's over the next six years.</span></p><p><span>"Fashion has always been about women," Lizzy Bowring, catwalk director at trend-forecasting agency WSGN, recently told Business Insider. "But men are finally having their time."</span><span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twin-sisters-started-cigar-company-with-only-500-investment-2019-4">Twin sisters started cigar company with only a $500 investment - and now they're shipping nationwide</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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