Kings of cool: Men to get their own style icons

It is no secret that most men struggle in vain for anything approaching sartorial elegance. Now a new report, which shows menswear sales have lagged behind womenswear, reveals why. Unlike women, who are bombarded with images of models and film stars making high street retailers' clothes look gorgeous, men have lacked stylish billboard icons.

The dearth of male celebrities endorsing clothing lines is highlighted as a key reason why, at £9.6bn, the menswear market is worth barely half the value of the buoyant womenswear market – despite growing at 16 per cent in the past five years, according to the research firm Mintel.

But, in a week that saw model Lily Cole sign up as the face of Marks & Spencer, there are signs that men are fighting back. First, David Beckham agreed to model underwear for Emporio Armani, then Jude Law was unveiled as global ambassador for Alfred Dunhill, the luxury menswear and accessories brand. The British actor joins a growing list of male celebrities, from Brad Pitt and Jonny Wilkinson to Antonio Banderas and Sir Steve Redgrave, who are following in female footsteps.

Dylan Jones, editor of men's magazine GQ, thinks we are hitting a rosy era for men's clothing. "With retailers like Primark, Topman and M&S, it's possible for anybody to be well dressed."

M&S started the trend for using male celebrities, with Jimmy Carr, Bob Mortimer and Martin Freeman. It has just launched a campaign with Take That. Next has signed Jennifer Aniston's ex-boyfriend Paul Sculfor to star in its first TV ad for 12 years.

But advertising experts warn that retailers often struggle to find suitable icons. Lucy Howard, of the agency RKCR/Y&R, said: "There just aren't the recognisable faces that you get with females." And Nick Hollingworth, head of Austin Reed, said: "Finding the right person is extremely difficult... but I think this is a trend on the increase."