Fashion: Not Just for Women | Arts & Culture

Written by Missy Black

A fashionable men's club is forming in Grand Rapids, and if you follow the finger pointing, key players include Jim Murray, general manager of A.K. Rikk's and Stylist Kev Couture, along with a slew of other personalities.

"Fashion is everything to me. I love being able to make someone feel good about themselves through fashion. That's my high," Couture said.

And it's not just Couture who's feeling good as a result of fashion. Many men about town are picking up on an oft-overlooked trend.

"Men are starting to take notice. They think, I need a crisp haircut and cologne. It's all in the details — from the watches to the socks," says Ryan Slusarzyk, corporate business travel manager for Amway Hotel Corporation.

Slusarzyk namedrops Fitzgerald's Men's Store in Breton Village Mall, A.K. Rikk's, the Birch Run outlet,Somerset Collection and the new Wolverine Company store downtown as some of his favorite men's clothing retailers.

So, who's influencing this resurgence of men's style?

"Women have a lot of control over that," Couture says with a laugh. "I'm bringing fashion by way of keeping it fresh, keeping up with the pulse of what's happening so we won't get lost."

When it comes to experience in the local fashion industry, Patrick Plank is a name that pops up in such fashionable circles. Plank is the creative director and head of visual merchandising at Leigh's, as well as the creative genius behind Couture for a Cure.

"I do the same thing that I do for...

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