The ‘babygirl men’ are setting trends - how can brands keep up?

“Babygirl is a designation that’s given out when we find this person not just hot, but interesting; worthwhile,” says writer and pop culture consultant Evan Ross Katz. Last year“babygirl” solidified its place in our vernacular, dominating social media platforms, especially TikTok and Twitter. Babygirl men are also typically comfortable enough with their masculinity to bend the rules around gender when dressing. Pedro Pascal, Timothée Chalamet and Keoghan have rocked up to recent awards shows in women’s runway looks. In Vogue Runway’s year-end poll, gender-bending menswear was dubbed the industry’s favourite 2023 trend.

But what are babygirl men, and what does their rise say about the future of fashion?

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Why now?

Social media is a key driver. “TikTok, fan cams and edits really have shifted our perceptions, influences and ideas regarding men’s fashion and how it’s not just about suits anymore,” says stylist and fashion historian Kim Russell.

Gen Z loves to romanticise the mundane, and TikTok gives them the perfect tool to do so, says Marta Indeka, senior foresight analyst at consultancy The Future Laboratory, who points out that everything from salted granola to corporate business wear has been made into a viral TikTok trend this summer. “

Retailers are taking note, however, —?and buying accordingly. “The Row’s Margaux bag is a bestseller within menswear, yet officially belongs to the women’s collections,” says Mytheresa’s head of menswear buying Sophie Jordan.

Given the number of leading men already tapping womenswear looks for their carpet appearances, this bodes well for brands branching out.

Babygirl men’s embrace of womenswear is just a fragment of that wider shift. “Men’s fashion has been so boring in the entertainment world for too long, I’d be happy with a major shift,” Russell says.

The ongoing resonance of babygirl men —?and their ability to sell to women —?will depend on the next generation of male movie stars and their intrigue level, Katz says. “It depends on: do sticky stars emerge? And are they the kind of stars that people have a fascination with every aspect of what they do?”

Read the full analysis and trend report here.

Elsewhere in the industry this week:

• Michael Burke to succeed Sidney Toledano at the helm of LVMH Fashion Group
• Richemont beats expectations as growth in China and the US offsets Europe’s decline
• Is Coach modelling a path for fashion transformation?
• Refy is among a swathe of beauty brands that found success through TikTok virality. Now, it's heading for fashion.
• As part of its pioneering belonging strategy, Neiman Marcus Group increased racial diversity on its leadership team. Here’s how they did it.

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