Anya Hindmarch steps into the men's fashion market

Although some industry insiders have raised concerns for the future of men's fashion week, thanks to the change of tide which sees more and more fashion houses showing men's and women's together, it has done little to stem a growing group of women's wear designers from testing the waters.

British designer Stella McCartney previously announced her debut men's wear line at Italian trade fair Pitti Uomo and now following in her footsteps comes fellow designer Anya Hindmarch, who is set to launch a "For Him" collection, reports the New York Times.

Anya Hindmarch to launch debut men's collection

Set to launch next month, Anya Hindmarch debut men's collection will feature three distinct leather bag styles, including a backpack, a tote and briefcase, small leather goods and sneakers. The items will bear the designer's signature playful motifs and characters, such as the pixelated Space Invaders-style icons from her women's AW16 collection.

"Men were coming in and buying pieces that were part of our women’s collection," said Hindmarch to the Times, "as well as ordering pieces from our bespoke shop, where customers are pretty much split 50-50 between the sexes, so we thought we might as well do it in a more organized way." The design process for the men's collection came more naturally than one may think, as men were already purchasing items from her women's collections and showing interest in Hindmarch designs.

"We didn’t need masses of differentiation," she added. "Men’s hands are bigger, so we had to change the size of some handles and proportions, and women tend to wear more cross-body bags, but that’s about it." However, rather than show the two collections apart during men's fashion week and women's fashion week, Hindmarch had opted to show the two together and will show her men's collection during London Fashion Week in September.

In spite of the recent wave of uncertainty currently in the UK, in part due to the Brexit and changes to the traditional fashion calendar, Hindmarch has chosen an optimum time to expand her​ collection. According to recent data from Mintel, the men's wear market is growing at a faster rate than its female counters, and with the UK accessories market said to be worth some 2.7 billion pounds it looks like Hindmarch men's collection is likely to be a double win.

Photos: Anya Hindmarch Pre-Fall 2016 and A/W 2016, Facebook