If you’ve been in Florence this past week for men’s trade fair Pitti Uomo, you’ve likely spotted the so-called “Pitti peacocks”. Clad in three-piece tailoring, pristine shoes and often a jaunty hat, this group comprises the influencers, brand founders, buyers, and journalists that orbit the menswear market. But more importantly, those who fall into the Gen X and baby boomer generations.
Since marketers learnt they could segment and target specific generations online, brands became obsessed with generational trends. Amid the streetwear boom, which peaked in luxury menswear in the late 2010s and early 2020s, the majority of brands were dead set on winning younger shoppers with influencers, buzzy collabs, celebrity placements, and social media activations. Now, as the aspirational consumer continues to pull back spending and streetwear growth slows, the market would be wise to rethink its focus on younger shoppers.
“Older menswear consumers are often overlooked, but they’re one of the most valuable audiences in fashion today,” says Bia Bezamat, cultural insights expert at Kantar. “Like many consumer industries, fashion often optimizes for Gen Z attention, not necessarily for long-term value or loyalty. But Gen Xs and baby boomers already account for more than a quarter of global spending, so there’s a big mismatch between where brands are focusing their attention and where purchasing power actually sits. The older consumer also tends to be more brand loyal, more decisive, and less driven by short-term trend cycles.”
Indeed, older menswear consumers have serious spending power. McKinsey’s 2025 luxury outlook identified affluent consumers over 50, so-called “silver spenders”, as a major growth engine — accounting for 48% of global spending growth. It checks out: Gen X alone drove $15.2 trillion in global spending in 2025, according to the World Economic Forum, making it the highest-spending generation globally. Plus, baby boomers hold half of the current US household wealth, according to the Federal Reserve.
There are already examples of brands targeting them well. Ultra-high-end labels like Brunello Cucinelli, Zegna, and Loro Piana have long cast older men in shows, presentations and campaigns, positioning themselves as intergenerational labels, while targeting the most affluent of shoppers. Zegna tapped 60-year-old actor Mads Mikkelsen as a global brand ambassador in 2023; he regularly walks their runway shows, alongside male models both his junior and senior.
Some of the most prominent houses like Chanel and Hermès are “the gold standard” of intergenerational marketing, says menswear consultant Nick Wooster, who’s been on the men’s street style scene for the last two decades. However, Wooster notes that many of luxury’s other leading labels under LVMH and Kering are prioritizing millennial and Gen Z marketing that doesn’t resonate with older cohorts. “The people buying the products are not the people that these brands are marketing to,” he says.
Of course, representation is a good first step. But for more mature consumers that favor IRL shopping, stellar service, and style formulas over trends, brands must go further to harness the power of the mature menswear consumer.
Shopping with intention
Hirofumi Kurino is a pioneer of Japanese fashion, having co-founded leading multi-brand retailer United Arrows in 1989. And while he has long been credited as a fashion icon, as Kurino has gotten older, he’s shifted his spending to invest more in experiences with his family. When he does shop, however, he knows exactly what he’s looking for and is loyal to the brands he believes have visionary founders or creative directors.
Kurino’s not alone. Gen X and baby boomer men generally “shop with intention”, says Joo Woo, SVP of menswear at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. “He has a clear sense of what he’s looking for: personalized service, quality and craftsmanship, exclusivity, and brand heritage.”
