Private desires, public display: consumption, postmodernism and fashion’s “new man”

Abstract

This article sets out to explore the role of clothes as compensatory consumption in men’s lives from an experimental perspective, presenting preliminary findings from the current research based on case studies of three adult males. This is part of a much larger study into compensatory consumption currently being undertaken by the author. The article examines the men’s relationship with fashion and their shopping behaviour in the light of current literature on fashion, identity and consumer behaviour. The implications for fashion retailing are considered and proposals for future research put forward.