Curated fashion and grooming for men: the next big thing?
Before Christmas I wrote about the flurry of new ‘subscription box’ start-ups that are embracing the world of fashion and beauty on my blog for Glamour Magazine. These are essentially clever curation services that deliver monthly ‘care packages’ to subscribers containing handpicked shoes and accessories (Stylistpick), beauty product miniatures (Glossybox) or no-brainer menswear items picked by a woman (Bombfell) to save you the time and bother of shopping or to give you a monthly ‘surprise present’ at a fairly affordable price. Vivian Weng, co-founder of Fashion Stake also mentioned the subscription box concept as one of her top 5 tips for success in 2012 in a post for The Huffington Post.
I’m especially intrigued by the menswear opportunities. Interest in menswear and grooming continues to grow, so kudos to Glossybox, the German company which sends out monthly boxes of niche-brand beauty miniatures, for expanding into the mens market.
Launched last month, Glossybox for Men (um, might they need to change the name though?) is a quarterly service comprising of seven high-end deluxe samples which include shaving products, skin case, body care and fragrance samples at a cost of £15 (plus £2.95 p+p) Some men might like this as an opportunity to try new products while for others they’re a cheap, convenient way to keep the bathroom cabinet stocked with practical miniatures for travel or gym.
While my boyfriend D was dubious as he felt that men are creatures of habit and prefer to repeat-buy the products they know work for them, I think others (especially younger consumers) might be more open minded. But for the guy who isn’t very adventurous and hates shopping, How about this idea from Man Packs? This site specialises in no-frills underwear – think Hanes tees, Calvin Klein boxers, Champion socks – that can be dispatched on repeat in whatever permutations you desire. A clever, practical concept for lazy time-poor blokes that lets them replenish their underwear drawers without having to make any decisions or even go near a website once the initial service has been set up. I think it’s pretty genius.
I’d be interested to hear if any guys have tried these schemes out or think they would/wouldn’t work.
11 January, 2012 @ 9:04 am
I tried out the Glossybox for men just before Christmas. Most of the products were really great and I hadn’t tried them before, but a couple weren’t suitable – e.g. hair gel is only useful if you have a particular short hairstyle. Maybe they should try to keep them as generic as possible.
xx
11 January, 2012 @ 10:05 am
I think the Man Packs idea is a great one and very apt for guys who detest shopping and rely Xmas pressies from Aunties in order to replenish their underwear. Glossy Box is a great concept and is really useful for young women who are finding their way in the beauty product minefield. Great packaging though.