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Dedicated Menswear Shows Are Making a Comeback



Givenchy will separate menswear and womenswear from June, joining other European brands embracing the uncoupling route.

By Miles Socha, Martino Carrera


The coed fashion show, which gained popularity in recent years, is yielding to a great uncoupling in order to give menswear a bigger spotlight.


Versace and Dsquared2 are among European brands that recently reverted to dedicated menswear displays in order to spur their businesses. And now comes word that Givenchy will separate menswear and womenswear to give each category more visibility.


Givenchy’s spring 2023 men’s show, slated for Paris Fashion Week in June, will mark the first time showing menswear alone since Matthew Williams joined the house as creative director in June 2020.


Andrew Groves, a professor of fashion design at the University of Westminster in London, argued that a rise in coed shows has “only harmed menswear,” which he said had been “pushing boundaries” and generating both revenues and consumer excitement.”
“Both in its development over the last 300 years, and in its processes of production and manufacturing, menswear is a significantly different discipline to womenswear,” he said in an interview. “Coed shows are frequently reviewed by womenswear critics, who frequently lack an interest in or understanding of menswear,” and tend to focus on the womenswear.
According to Groves, “There is an inescapable need for separate menswear and womenswear fashion weeks and shows, as production schedules and target audiences are clearly different.” He noted for designers who specialize in menswear, such as Craig Green, “the trend toward coed fashion weeks, such as the one in London, means that their work is in danger of being marginalized because it is positioned predominantly within a womenswear context.”
“Despite all the talk about gender boundaries blurring, this is only true for a small segment of consumers,” he added.
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