GORGEOUS GUYS

What grooms want

Menswear retailers are seeing healthy increases in business as more and more big days are scheduled – or rescheduled – for 2022 and 2023. We talked to two leaders in the field who offer a complete all-round service

BIG SELECTION At the Kent Wedding Centre, the choice is vast, and right now blue is one of the top colours for guys

As the wedding industry emerges from two very challenging years, questions are being asked about how the market in all areas of bridal might have changed. Optimists are predicting that 2022 will be a boom year for weddings, because of all the postponements as the country went in and out of lockdown and the Government’s recommended wedding protocols seemed to change by the day. Only five guests… no dancing… social distancing for all…no honeymoons in beauty spots abroad… meant that inevitably the wedding scene was very different from anything we had experienced before.

Some of the problems were outlined for us by Martin Lemming, who is in charge of menswear at the Kent Wedding Centre, the one-stop destination for those planning their big day. The Centre offers all the services couples need, from florists to photographers, as well as bridalwear, and menswear to hire or buy.

“We are very busy, run off our feet, in fact,” Martin told us. “We are seeing postponed weddings that have been re-booked with us, plus new customers as the country opened up. Re-fitting wedding parties is one of the things we have found most difficult. Some weddings have been postponed more than once and there may be six or more people to be re-fitted each time. Grooms and groomsmen put on weight – or lose it – and if a wedding has been moved from winter to summer or vice versa, lighter or heavier-weight suits may be needed.

“Then there’s the supply chain,

which has been a problem too. Mills closed, so fabric was no longer being produced, or not in the quantities required. Import duties changed. Shoes have been difficult to obtain in the right sizes and quantity. I must have heard every excuse in the book, ranging from the hold up in the Suez Canal, to containers not being able to leave port when they reached this country, as well as Covid of course!

“Luckily, our customers have been very understanding. Many of them had similar problems in their own businesses so they are willing to work with us to find substitutes for the styles they originally wanted.

“We are buying new stock for clients booking weddings for 2022 and 2023. Navy blue is by far the most popular colour – in fact blue of all shades does very well, including blue checks in both casual and more formal styles. Our clients will try on a tailcoat to see how they look in something of a different cut, fit and style, and we are finding we do quite well with them. We offer them the choice to rent or buy, as they wish.

“As far as prices go, some of our clients have done quite well and have a bigger budget than before the pandemic, so are ready to spend just as much, or even more on their weddings. No-one wants to hear that prices have gone up though – but next year prices will have to go up!”

“It’s been an interesting time, for sure” says Stephen Bishop, of Stephen Bishop Suiting, based in Woking, Surrey. Stephen’s company has been offering a complete wedding package for bridegrooms and groomsmen for more than 25 years, including made-to-measure suits and the option to hire or buy. He is optimistic about the future, and clearly knows his market well.

“We don’t really subscribe to trends here,” he says, “since we work from six months to a year-and-a-half ahead anyway. But we are seeing a huge swing back to formality, including tails. I would say that 75% of our customers who come in asking for a lounge suit and end up with tails.

“Tweed is also very big, although personally I am not a fan of hot suits in summer! Many wedding guests turn up in tweeds, so I often

MEN’S ZONE Stephen Bishop sees a return to formal dressing with contemporary accessories

suggest formalising the look of the groom’s party just a little, so that the groomsmen don’t look just like the other guests. Formal, but modern, is a popular look. Lots of clients want a suit in a formal colour like navy but with a plaid waistcoat in something like a Prince of Wales check. Our waistcoats are Somerset-made, in flannel, and are exclusive to us.”

Stephen says that budgets seem as generous as ever – if not more so – which is, of course, very good for business!

“A huge number of our weddings have had to be re-scheduled,” he points out, ”which means that couples have had another year or more to save up for their big day.

“Many of our clients normally commute into London and haven’t been doing so during lockdown, so they’ve saved on train fares as well.

“High Street stores have been more affected than independents like us during the pandemic – some have had supply chain issues, for example, but we’re not in competition with them. I would say about half our grooms buy their suit, but hire the groomsmen’s, although some groomsmen prefer to buy because they can wear their suit for work afterwards.”

Stephen sees no sign that couples are cutting back on wedding preparations or expenses.

“Many of them appear to feel that life’s too short, so why not have a blow-out,” he says. “Everyone seems more happy and buoyant when they come to us, which means, of course, that we have a good time, too, and their confident mood definitely helps our sales!”