* Growth rate for men's fashion outpaces womenswear
* London kicks off international menswear show season
* City has men's fashion heritage - and fabled styles
By Brenda Goh
LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Britain, birthplace of thethree-piece suit and leather brogues, is stepping up efforts toestablish London as the global capital of menswear with itsdesigners chasing dominance in the fastest growing fashionsector by sales.
Playing host to London Collections: Men, a three-day eventthat started on Monday, the British capital will see more than130 brands such as Topman, Burberry and AlexanderMcQueen showcase their latest collections to fashion buyers andthe media from more than 20 countries.
The city has dressed its train stations with postersfeaturing real Londoners showcasing fabled British looks such asbrogues and tartan. And it kickstarting the menswear collectionsinternationally, with shows to follow in Milan, Paris and NewYork.
"We have the heritage that none of the other cities have,"model and fashion committee member David Gandy told Reuters.
"We have Savile Row and we have the history, we set so manytrends here, from the Burberry coat to the three-piece suit,from herringbone to Harris tweed."
The menswear sector has emerged out of womenswear's shadowin recent years thanks to rapid sales growth that analysts sayis being driven by the Internet and an increasingly sartoriallyaware generation, particularly in Asia.
Market research firm Mintel estimates the men's fashionmarket grew by 2 percent to 10.4 billion pounds ($17.1billion)in 2012, and the market is forecast to grow 16 percentbetween 2011 and 2016.
Consultancy Bain & Co reported in 2012 that theinternational luxury menswear market was growing at an annualrate of 14 percent, almost double the rate of the womenswearsegment.
"Our goal is to ensure that London remains ahead of theworld fashion pack, and to support an important sector thatcreates thousands of jobs and generates 10 billion pounds eachyear," London Mayor Boris Johnson said.
British designer Lou Dalton kickstarted the event on Monday,sending models down the catwalk in farm workwear-inspiredcorduroy and faded denim outfits.
The event will also host brands such as Marks and Spencer, which will stage its first men's fashion show pegged onits "Best of British" range at a time when the retail giant isbattling falling clothing sales.
Topman, a chain belonging to the Arcadia Group of Britishbillionaire Philip Green, showcased models with slicked-down wethair and outfits from oversized coats to cable-bonded slouchyturtleneck sweaters walking down a runway through a staged rainshower.
"This was my romantic notion of tough northern (England)boys going to work in shipyards of old," Design Director GordonRichardson said. "They would just have been like that, theywould have worn donkey jackets, peacoats, they would have bravedthe elements."
Burberry (BRBY)
Marks & Spencer (MKS)