He’s not breaking out the haute couture quite yet, but the young Australian male is getting a bit more adventurous as a new guard of homegrown fashion retailers set up shop.

Historically a largely feminine game, the focus of niche and major fashion retailers has been quietly shifting the last two years to the benefit of 18 to 35 year old men.

“There’s been more of a targeted approach to males in recent times. Retail is becoming less female fashion focused,” says Huw Bennett, co-founder of Vanishing Elephant.

Vanishing Elephant, a local brand targeting men, has gone from strength to strength since opening its first boutique in Melbourne’s QV in late 2011.

It premiered at its first fashion festival this year, and is witnessing strong growth in the traditionally tough sectors of shoes and leather bags.

“The male fashion consumer is becoming more outwardly adventurous. He’s dressing a bit smarter and neater, and is more interested in statement pieces,” says Bennett.

Fellow local fashion brand, Three Over One, which launched in 2008 with a blend of mid-priced casual clothes and formal suiting for men, has also noticed this trend.

“I’ve really noticed that the knowledge base of male customers is increasing,” says Jim Thompson, co-founder of Three Over One.

“They want to know more about brands and where something is made,” he says, adding that men are also learning to shop around a bit more.

Three Over One also opened a store in 2011, with its flagship on Sydney’s Oxford St, Paddington, located near women’s local fashion icons, like Sass & Bide and Zimmermann.

Down the road at Bondi Beach, another male-focused boutique, The Annex, has opened its doors.

It says its range, which features various local menswear labels, is “a much needed respite from the oft bland landscape of menswear retail”.

Three Over One’s Thompson says there’s still major gaps in the market, but it’s clear that “for certain segments male fashion is becoming bigger and bigger”.

UK pureplay, Asos, which launched a standalone Australian site two years ago, is one notable international retailer cashing in on the local demand for men’s fashion.

Thompson, originally from Great Britain, is a male fashion consultant for Asos on the side. He says Asos is making a concentrated effort to target the sector, as men become more receptive to stylish clothing at a fast fashion pricepoint.

General Pants, a local unisex bricks and mortar chain in a similar category to Asos, is making similar moves via its merchandising and marketing.

“Even General Pants, which has always done unisex or female-only campaigns, is putting more of a focus on men,” says Vanishing Elephant’s Bennett.

But it’s not just fast fashion retailers and niche boutiques picking up on the trend. High end male luxury chain, Harrolds, says it is noticing consumer changes.

“The male casual area has grown immensely,” says John Poulakis, founder and director, Harrolds, which has three sites across in Sydney and Melbourne.

Poulakis, who has more than two decades experience in the industry, says the days of blokey Australian fashion are coming to a close.

“They’re no longer happy to wear a pair of jeans or t-shirt. They want to look smarter in their casual wear,” he says.

Fashion is still female forward 

Despite the subtle masculine shift, both Vanishing Elephant and Three Over One say there’s no chance of men driving the fashion retail sector anytime soon.

Both brands have notably launched collections for women in the last year, with these lines now representing about a quarter of their overall sales.

“We are a men’s brand predominantly. We’re not trying to be a big girls brand, but we’d love to grow that number further,” says Three Over One’s Jim Thompson.

Both Thompson and Bennett say commercial success in men’s fashion retail still requires finding that fine line between style and accessible staples.

“We found we were sometimes overshooting the mark or just missing it,” says Bennett.

“So we make our ranges quite broad. We don’t try to reinvent the wheel but we try and make fashion work for men.”

This article originally appeared in Inside Retail’s digital weekly magazine on 19 April. To subscribe please click here.