Topshop is known by many as the number one fashion destination on the high street for women. As a brand, Topshop pride themselves on bringing high fashion to the high street, providing affordable fashionable women‟s wear to female shoppers across the globe. Following the success of Topshop, Topman was launched in 1978 and was set to become the number one shopping destination on the high street for men. Although Topman has been a huge success story they do not even come close to competing with the success of sister store Topshop. Over the years Topman has gained a loyal customer base and even to this day they are improving their brand image and product range but this still does not put them on the map at the high street‟s favourite menswear retailer. Topman are continuously looking for new ways to develop as a company and this often means introducing new product lines into stores. Designer collaborations and limited collections have previously been created to widen Topman‟s target consumer and more recently a new floor has been added to the flagship store at London‟s Oxford Street branch, all in a bid to increase profits, gain customers and improve brand image. Whilst the London store is clearly succeeding in all these areas, other stores across the world are lacking and missing out on the possible success of these initiatives.
Historically men are less consumed by fashion than women, but in recent years it has become common for men to follow trends. This interest in fashion has led some men to shopping in women‟s stores to stay on top of seasonal trends. An innovative new concept, that appeals to a market that Topman has not yet targeted, could be exactly what the brand need to widen their success.
‘Topshop for Topman’ would be a new concept from the Topshop in house design team created especially for Topman, delivering trend led capsule T shirt collection with an emphasis on design, detail, fabric and finish. The ‘Topshop for Topman’ T shirt collection would combine Topshop designs with Topman styles at an affordable price. This collection would appeal to students and young professionals seeking fashionable, affordable clothing on the high street
