6 minute read
Spotlight On... Men’s Gifts
With
Right: Among Swole Panda’s bright socks for men.
Men
In Mind
With Father’s Day around the corner (Sunday 19 June) gift retailers will soon be helping customers to choose that ‘something different’ for dads, stepdads, grandads and surrogate dads, to mark a special day on the calendar that says, ‘you are wonderful, we love you.’
But, of course, Father’s Day isn’t the only time that men are celebrated, with birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas among the occasions when male gifts really come into focus. What’s trending this year? PG&H took a peek.
Although Father’s Day has never had the gift and card buying bonanza that Mother’s Day enjoys, it is nevertheless a much celebrated occasion, with women buying for their menfolk, and gift retailers bearing that in mind when sourcing product. With most products gender neutral nowadays, and suitable for both men and women, it’s all to play for.
“Multi-tools make a great, useful gift for the handy person in the family but are especially poignant for Father’s Day,” points out Lesser & Pavey’s managing director Julian Hunt. “Ours are packed with tools
that include pliers, screwdrivers, wire strippers and bottle openers. They’re great for jobs on the move, as well as for jobs around the house, or when out and about on, for example, on a camping or fishing trip.”
Men’s jewellery too, has seen a huge resurgence of popularity in 2021 with the trend set to continue into 2022, predicts Joe Davies’ jewellery buyer Mary Caputo. “No longer considered a niche market, nowadays, men of all ages and walks of life are choosing to wear jewellery on a daily basis to complete their overall look.
Above: Gift Republic’s Hobby House cycling tin. Left: Chaps Stuff from Joe Davies. Below left: Lesser & Pavey’s Multi Tool kit comes in a canvas carry pouch.
The Equilibrium for Men jewellery collection from Joe Davies includes a timeless range of men’s sleek, minimalist leather bracelets and necklaces, along with braided leather bracelets featuring stainless steel embellishments.”
Mary adds that 2022 also sees the continuation of the trend for water bottles and travel mugs in a quest to rid the planet of single use plastic. “The popular Chaps Stuff collection of men’s gifts from Joe Davies includes water bottles, travel mugs, hip flasks, beer glasses and coasters with a stylish range of ceramic mugs new for 2022, all designed with tongue in cheek humorous artwork to appeal to men of all ages.”
At Gift Republic, head of product development, Paul Bisset, says: “The male purchaser is more engaged with the outdoors lifestyle, which we put down to being in lockdown for the last year or so, as well as reviving the board games market with a new-found love of games.”
Explains Paul: “In the last 12 months, we have consistently seen more male-led designs in board games and DIY gifts sold through online and on the high street. Responding to the data we have gathered, our design team have been busy designing
fun, playful games such as Game of Death and Risky Quizness. In addition, the new launch of our cycling, golf, fishing and gardening gift tins within the Hobby House range has had a great reception, with more people requesting these than we thought. It seems that over the last few years, people are getting into a wider range of hobbies and are spending more on the things they are enjoying and have a love for.”
Puckator’s designer Olivia Homar meanwhile, predicts that the men's giftware industry will have more of a retro feel to it this year. “We've seen a significant rise in designs and products that feature different elements from the ‘80s and ‘90s, focusing on gaming and television,” she highlights. “We stock many licensed ranges - from PacMan to Stormtrooper - that have been extremely popular across all age ranges, with the collection now including our new officially licensed Minecraft range.”
Mugs, of course, always tick the right box.
“We continue to see a trend in practical men’s gifts, particularly items for the home office,” points out Enesco’s marketing and product director Helen Cottrill. “Our launch in Our Name Is Mud range gives dads a 5* rating, humour combined with a lovely message. We have also launched our Allen Designs range with pieces including tractors, dog and wine clocks plus a collection of fun planters, making an ideal backdrop for Zoom calls.” Male grooming products too, is another sector that continues to thrive. “With more people returning to the office, men want to feel confident and happy in their appearance again and bath and body products play a key part in this,” says Mad Beauty’s creative director Julia Cash. “We’re therefore expecting continued growth in this this area this year as more people identify the men in their lives as recipients for personal care and beauty gift items and not just at Christmas! But we also want men to have fun when using our products, so offering high quality, smile enhancing lines is essential to all of our new product development. Our extensive Star Wars and Star Wars The Mandalorian ranges are bigger than ever, ranging from an uplifting shower experience with fragrances to our printed Darth Vader and Darth Maul face masks.” Of course, gift-led products fanfaring food - and beer - are always appreciated by men, and guaranteed to raise a smile, says Boxer Gifts’ managing director Thomas O’Brien. “At Boxer, we drive men’s gifts to take on new trends, but we usually come back to something close to a man’s heart - beer! With our new craft beer glasses there’s a mix of a traditional love of beer with the growing craft beer fan market. In addition, hugely popular in the Spring barbeque season is the Love My Meat canvas apron with leatherette beer, phone and chilli sauce pockets - what more does a man need to get cooking?”
Meanwhile, the home bar experience is continuing to trend, with Captivate Brands launching Dalton & Turner, earlier this year. “We’ve gone for a sophisticated professional look which definitely lends itself to men’s gifts,” says managing director Kevin McKay. “Products that work especially well include the stainless steel hip flask, the whisky stones set and the vertical lever corkscrew.” On the fashion front, for men who like to
reflect their personal style, colourful, designled socks can be a talking point, with Oliver Slacke, founder of ethical company Swole Panda, revealing: “Moving into spring, bright socks are on very much trend,” confirming that socks don’t have to be boring. And for those who are sustainably minded, the company’s men’s belts fit the bill, made out of seven recycled plastic bottles.
With so much innovation around for men’s gift ideas, retailers are clearly going to be spoilt for choice this year.
Striding Out
At walking stick specialist Classic Canes, the emphasis is on practicality. “Men like presents they can use,” says managing director, Charlotte Gillan, “so hiking staffs and trekking poles they can take along on walks are ideal. A new model this year is the chestnut congo hiking staff, a characterful walking stick that’s suitable for country walks.”
Right: The new Congo hiking staff from Classic Canes. Left: A Stormtrooper apron from Puckator. Below: Have A Crafty One: among the new craft beer glasses from Boxer Gifts.
