Twenty-two-year-old Arjun Gupta is disgruntled with the inadequate selection of ties in his wardrobe; he almost chokes at the thought of looking unkempt at a social occasion. To him, dressing suavely is a way of life and is not just a matter of choice anymore. And he is not alone. A rising number of Indian men today are making conscious sartorial choices. Men are embracing the wide variety of ensembles that are available in the retail clothing market. A few years ago, however, not many would follow suit. “Twenty years ago we didn’t have a steady fashion industry; let alone men and their fashion sensibilities. We’ve evolved from an era where men would go to a tailor for a three-piece suit to pairing their high street trousers with designer shirts. They are experimenting with their wardrobe choices,” says designer JJ Valaya who is also a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). In the last few years, there has been a paradigm shift in the Indian menswear industry. Few aspects of this shift however, haven’t been seemingly obvious.
The Evolution
“There are two parallels to the evolution of the Indian menswear market. The first one is the ready-to-wear menswear market that has taken the same path as the rest of the Indian menswear industry. The second one is the wedding market. Here’s where we see a major shift. We’re witnessing a more traditional wedding market where men are investing in customary Indian clothing for a wedding ,” elaborates Valaya. Menswear in India is not heavily influenced just by the international markets and Bollywood. Today, we are tracing our steps back to heritage Indian clothing. The demand for traditional Jodhpurs, bandhgalas and Nehru jackets has been more than ever. Market experts say that the demand for suits for a wedding has almost died. Agrees designer Raghavendra Rathore, who is noted for his signature Bandhgala designs, “Nehru style jacket worn over kurta; embroidered waistcoats with Jodhpuri pants, strategically embroidered shirts and jackets embellished bundies and Bandgala jackets in vibrant shades is more widely accepted in order to look different yet classic,” says Rathore.
This revolution comes only with increased awareness and accessibility. “The possibilities are infinite when it comes to styling. We also have a lot of options for accessories. The introduction of multinational clothing brands has only been a positive addition because men don’t need to travel to far off countries to shop for international brands anymore,” says Valaya.
The Modern Consumer
The advent of fashion magazines and Internet has contributed to this widespread sartorial awareness. The new media and the emergence of the fine dining culture too has encouraged us to go out more often than usual and been instrumental in bringing about this awareness. The average Indian man’s attention has shifted from making safe style choices to the intricacies. “They are more careful about the detailing now. We’ve grown from a point where the style sense of a man was limited to a classic blue shirt and khaki pants to this coming-of-age modern consumer who is more aware . He is not afraid to throw on a linen shirt with a printed tie,” says Nikhil Mehra of the Shantanu and Nikhil designer duo, who have been instrumental in amalgamating Indian heritage with western sensibilities through their designs.
It is no wonder then that fashion weeks in India too reserve a 20 per cent slot just to showcase menswear.
The Future
Where exactly do we see this market heading?
“The menswear industry is speeding ahead with a higher percentage of retail investment in this market. Although, it is necessary that we focus on making menswear more accessible and available in tier II cities because there is a growing demand,” believes Mehra. While accessibility of major brands remains questionable in a lot of Indian cities, the demand for them remains high. The market remains untapped in the smaller metropolises in India. Prolific brand strategies and an increase in the number of store franchises are areas that the marketers need to focus on. “70 per cent of the retail market today is menswear and we need a firm stage to display that. In addition, we also need more places dedicated to just menswear just like Aditya Birla Group’s multi-brand venture The Collective,” says Valaya. While the growth of the Indian menswear industry has been great, the industry needs investments to further augment this growth.
