Craig Landale: Learn The Classic Style Rules
Launched in 2012 Menswear Style has become one of the most read and authoritative publications on all things men’s fashion, health and style. For Life caught up with Menswear Style’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief Craig Landale to find out the current state of men’s fashion, his style icons and how the lad-mag culture is fast going the way of the dinosaurs.
What inspired Menswear Style?
I entered the blogging industry at a time when there weren’t many daily online magazines aimed at men. I worked as a digital marketer within the menswear industry and would often try to seek out inspirations through this very method. I had a few favourites such as FashionBeans, Hypebeast and Highsnobiety but the list wasn’t that long, and so I decided to jump into this gap in the market with a website that would cover fashion, style, grooming and lifestyle with the aim to educate and keep men up to date with style rules, trends and latest news within men’s fashion — particularly from a London perspective
Do you think men are taking more interest in fashion thanks to more online access?
Yes, the days of being embarrassed to use more grooming products than just deodorant and aftershave in the men’s changing room are thankfully over. A mix of increased online access and witnessing male icons such as David Beckham take care of their appearance has truly shifted the male mentality on both grooming and fashion. The men’s market for both these areas is booming and retailers are surely taking note. Men can now learn all the classic style rules, learn how their garments are made and view online street galleries of ordinary guys styled in different ways — it’s much easier for men to relate to the guy next door than a celebrity with the perfect body.
Do you think publications like Menswear Style have usurped the ‘lads’ mags’ culture?
Yes and those ‘lads’ mags’ know it. Each one is investing heavily in their own websites and apps because they know that print is dying out as each year goes by. I went to a David Gandy talk a couple of years ago and he even mentioned that he no longer buys print magazines, even though he graces many pages within them. Online magazines such as ours have a unique advantage — the running costs are relatively low, we can report on trends and news quicker, our content is not limited by the size of a page, we can engage with our audience in real time, and our audience/website can be 100% tracked which is highly beneficial to advertisers.
Menswear Style addresses all manner of things, many of which men are too shy, proud or scared to talk about, is that part of the unique selling point?
We’ve noticed that articles on hair such as popular hairstyles, beard care and hair loss achieve a vast readership. This is true also of articles on male body consciousness such as skin care, weight loss and gaining muscle — this is an insight into what men are interested in right now but might be too shy to talk about face-to-face with friends and so seek out the answers online instead.
Who are the style icons that particularly inspire you and why?
I believe men should have many male style icons and the list should be ever changing. This mix can be celebrities such as David Beckham and Tinie Tempah, bloggers such as Mariano Di Vaio and Adam Gallagher, and industry insiders such as Nick Wooster and David Gandy. These are just a few of my personal icons that I gain inspiration from and they all have unique and different styles from one another. This method will give you a broad range of fashion styling ideas from tailoring to streetwear.
Who are your worst dressed celebrities?
I won’t name any specifics but style faux pas and simple style rules often jump out at me. The one I see the most on television is the bottom button of a suit jacket — this should never be buttoned unless it only has one button. However, I find myself thinking “how did his stylist not know this rule?”.
What is your interpretation of ‘metrosexual’?
I think it’s simply just spending more time and focus on personal appearance.
How do you see fashion evolving, do you think eventually fashion will become genderless?
I don’t see fashion becoming genderless, although we do see a growing presence of androgyny each year. I think the pattern of fashions from older decades will keep coming back around but with new modern twists and wearable tech could play an increasing part depending on whether brands can make the garments look appealing. I also hope more sustainable manufacturing methods become mainstream such as apparel made from plastics retrieved from the oceans. I can also see traditional manufacturing making a big return to Britain and throw-away fashion will become less desirable, with fashion labels that have a long history and impeccable standards becoming the preferred choice.
You can follow Craig on Twitter.
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