Millennials are now the largest generation in the world, with 80 million of them living here in the US alone. As always, these young people are driving trends, and their collective tastes are manipulating businesses more noticeably than ever. While millennials are all about breaking rules and undermining old conventions, there are certain sensibilities that almost all millennial men are following. Here are a few simple rules of style, according to the millennial generation…

Shoes Have to Be Durable, Comfortable, and Unique

Fashion sensibilities from the 90s have been in the limelight for some time now, and new, independent labels are working to make them even more prevalent. If there’s one brand of shoe that really embodies this shift, it’s Birkenstock. This company’s products check all the boxes, offering durability, comfort, and most importantly its own unique mien that sets it apart from the alternatives. While you’re not going to find anything on their site that will mesh well with your best suit, their shoes are excellent for general day-to-day use.

Avoid Hot, Flashy Labels from the Past

In recent years, we’ve noticed a growing appreciation for labeless fashion in millennials, particularly in men. This has become more and more noticeable in various clothing niches, but strangely, the biggest shift has been in underwear. New luxury underwear brands like The Eighth, and direct-to-consumer brands like Mack Weldon, are also covering a lot of ground through their minimalist branding materials and price tags well above the older alternatives.

Take Care of your Beard

In a couple of decades, thick beards, top-knots and e-cigs are going to be the universal staples of millennial men, just as afros and medallions have become symbols of the 70s. If you’re one of the countless modern men sporting a thick, bushy beard, then it’s essential you take care of it, and avoid letting it become a scraggly, unkempt mess. Some guys’ beards may seem somehow too perfect to be true. In reality though, taming and grooming your beard is a pretty simple thing to learn. These are the only tips you’ll need for beard care, so get reading!

Be Aware of the Social Consequences of Where You Shop

Millennials are a generation that’s grown up with access to the internet, and as such, they’re more conscious and active when it comes to social issues than any generation since the turn of the century. More and more, millennial men and women are taking in the socio-economic consequences of the way they shop for clothes. Ask the average twenty-something walking around a shopping mall, and many of them will tell you they stick to socially responsible apparel, and brands that seek to stimulate fairer manufacturing opportunities in developing nations. Even those who aren’t all that clued up on the social issues behind the clothing industry are jumping on the bandwagon, and these labels are growing faster than ever!

There are just four of the principal rules that are guiding millennial men’s fashion. Stick to these, and fitting in with modern fashion conventions will be a walk in the park!