In an ever-growing competitive fashion market, it is easy for companies to be left behind if they do not provide consumers with an inspiring or desirable look. Particularly in men’s fashion, it becomes easy for companies to get lazy and complacent. Fashion Nova is the latest company to fall victim to this shortcoming, as consumers and fashion experts alike were left underwhelmed with their latest men’s collection.
With a generally more limited frame-of-work than women’s fashion, men’s fashion designers often have to go above and beyond to ensure that they do not blend in with other generic types of menswear. Fashion Nova is known for their women’s clothing filled with crazy patterns and two-piece sets. Their male audience also wanted the Nova collection to be a complimentary reflection of their female counterparts—with extravagant patterns du jour. Instead of catering to the wants of the guys that support them, they went in an entirely different direction and released a relatively basic, and perhaps cringy, collection of menswear.
Twitter users took problem with two particular T-shirts with “Meme Lord” and “Tag me in memes so I know it’s real,” imprinted on the front. Instead of providing the audience with unique and trendy patterns, Nova decided to release shirts that could have been made by a seventh-grader with a home printer.
While the line obviously had some decent and wearable articles of clothing, the line as a whole left a lot to be desired. Considering Fashion Nova hyped up the line in advance, it was fair for their fans to have high expectations. High expectations can lead to severe disappointment when the company fails to reach the mark. Fashion Nova built its name creating edgy, interesting pieces for women, so it was a let-down for most that expected the company to do something similar with their men’s clothing.
In a market saturated by a plethora of companies chasing the same look, it appears as though the latest Nova Fashion Men’s collection will be lost in the crowd. Though a few laughs were to be had from the ridiculously childish set of tees about memes, the collection as a whole does not seem to bring anything new or worthwhile to the table. Several pieces can be seen as complete rip-offs from other companies, such as the belt that steals Off-White’s style, color and pattern.
A lack of creativity like this annoyed, or at least disappointed, an audience that expected so much more. The styles that have been released by Fashion Nova, excluding the direct rip-offs of several streetwear brands, are comparable to those sold at stores like H&M, Forever 21, and Rue21. Unlike Fashion Nova, however, these companies already have a solid male audience already in place and shoppers know what to expect from them. Another drawback is that Fashion Nova has a bit higher price point than any of these stores, but not nearly as bad as brands like Off-White and A Bathing Ape.
Consumers have every right to be critical of an underwhelming release from a company they expected much more out of. This is not to say that the whole collection is garbage, however. Joggers, jackets and jeans are hard to butcher, so Fashion Nova does deserve credit where it’s due. It also makes sense for customers to buy similar styles to the big name brands at a lower price. The fact that some of the styles seem childish and many others bring absolutely nothing new or noteworthy to the table is what angers consumers the most.
The collection does have its positives, but the market is already filled with so many similar styles that it’s becoming hard to tell who even makes what anymore. Eventually, as style moves on and the trends change, many companies, like Fashion Nova, will be left out if they do not offer something different from the others. At the very least, a focus on quality and low pricing would help to boost their support if they choose not to innovate new or unique styles.
