Men are still buying suits for work despite the economic downturn. They just may not be buying the same amount or quality.

That's according to Bob Kirk, executive director of the Canadian Apparel Federation.

"People are buying fewer suits, particularly in the United States, but the ones they buy tend to be good suits or at least mid-level."

Kirk was speaking just as Coppley Apparel Group, Hamilton's iconic maker of fine men's wear, was forced to lay off 93 salaried and unionized employees this week.

On Thursday, Coppley president Warwick Jones said the market for the company's high-end suits went "flat and down."

In Canada, so far at least, the market is merely flat.

Kirk said men's clothing sales declined just under 1 per cent between January and June of this year.

Other men's manufacturers have been able to withstand the decline in the United States, which represents about 60 per cent of Canadian clothing sales, because they have diversified with mid- to lower-end products. That appeals to customers with shrinking wallets.

"Coppley is somewhat rare in that it only (manufactures) here," Kirk said, referring to some who have moved offshore. "Coppley is very strong in Chicago. They sell as many suits there as they do in all of Canada."

Bill Newman, who owns a men's store on King Street East, said he wasn't surprised by Coppley's troubles given the firm's reliance on U.S. customers.

In fact, yesterday the U.S. Commerce Department said retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.3 per cent in August as shoppers cut back.

Still, Newman said men's clothing is holding steady across various age groups in the Hamilton area, including young, entry-level professionals.

Two years ago, the DeGroote School of Business implemented a business casual dress code for MBA students -- a nod to the importance of dressing for success.

Jack van der Laan, owner of Filman's Men's Wear in Burlington, said Canadian independent retailers have some insulation from economic turns due to suppliers such as the Coppley Group.

He said Filman's can serve customers with non-standard sizes -- quickly with quality, made-in-Canada goods. Van der Laan put a Canadian flag on his print ads and he said the reaction was tremendous. "The consumer is really tired of things made in China."

"I was at Coppley's last week to discuss next summer's order. I feel good when I go there and at 4 or 5 o'clock I saw all of these people leaving work and going to buy groceries heading to their homes in Hamilton."

lmarr@thespec.com

905-526-3992