Superheroes on their sleeves

Priyadarshini Paitandy talks to fans on why they sport their favourite comic character on their clothes.

April 27, 2015 05:54 pm | Updated 06:33 pm IST

I confess. My knowledge of superheroes begins with Superman and ends with Batman. I only know the two and the fact that they wear skintight costumes with an underwear outside and a cape to add a dramatic touch. Wonder where the style police disappear when these men are out. Their sense of fashion may be a disaster but the world over hordes of fans dress in clothes inspired by them. And it doesn’t just end with the over-the-top costumes at Comic Con.

For some its part of daily life — night dresses with a smattering of action heroes, hoodies and T-shirts worn to office with Iron Man peering out of them (sometimes a blazer thrown over to add that formal touch at meetings), pyjamas, socks and gym wear with Black Widow, Wonder Woman and others, belts with the logo for buckles, knapsacks, wallets, shorts, caps, flip flops, towels... you name it and there’s an action hero emblazoned on them.

And if you think Sheldon Cooper (from  Big Bang Theory ) is unbelievable with his wardrobe dominated by superhero T-shirts, there are non-fictional fans whose underwear and lingerie too have superhero prints on them.

Apart from colourful comics and television/movie screens, Phantom, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Iron Man, Hawkman and other innumerable fictional personalities  find themselves on a whole lot of apparel.

Comic stores abroad make a killing feeding fan frenzy with their merchandise. In India, a physical comics store of such stature is yet to surface but the online space has quite a few sites to satiate the comic fan girl/boy. Voxpopclothing.com started in 2013 with the idea of designing, developing and marketing superhero stuff. “There is a huge demand for authentic merchandise in India. The plan was to partner with iconic brands. We are in partnership with DC Comics, Marvel, Star Wars...,” says Siddharth Taparia, CEO and Founder of voxpopclothing.

He started out with the all-time favourites such as Batman, Superman, Captain America and over the years with films featuring more such fictional saviours the list just grew longer. With Avengers  Age of Ultron  hitting the screens recently, this website launched 50 new T-shirts which feature American Patriot, Banner VS Hulk, War Path, The Golden Avengers, Iron Wars…

Just like supporters go to a cricket or football match clad in their team’s jerseys, these superhero movies often see enthusiasts dressed in their favourite DC, Marvel, super hero or super villain’s apparel. 

“I wear these T-shirts to the movies. However, I never wear one superhero’s T-shirt to another movie though. That’s an insult,” says Ashish Batheja, Head of Brand-Intellect Design Arena. The 36-year-old has been hooked to this genre since he was three and the love affair is still on. He now has his son, three-year-old son Nirvan for company. Together, the total number of superhero merchandise they own is beyond count. And every time Ashish is abroad clothes inspired by unusual superheroes like Birdman find their way into his suitcase.

“This genre cuts across all age groups,” says Jaineel Aga, CEO at Planetsuperheroes.com, another popular portal catering to comic and action heroes. “Both women and men visit our website; it’s a 50-50 ratio. We are adding more stuff for women,” he says.

For those wondering if sites can survive only on niche products, Aga says they dispatch around 100 orders a day, while Taparia’s company receives orders to the tune of 30,000 every month. It’s not restricted to the metropolises alone. Right from Roorkee to Rameshwaram there are followers for the spandex-clad battalion.

 The caped crusaders’ style is trending on Pinterest as well with a bunch of fashionistas suggesting innovative ways to wear your superhero on your sleeve. This goes beyond the usual T-shirts and vests. Bodycon dresses, capris, chunky belts, boots, tunics, polo neck tops, coloured pants, bodysuits… well everything chic comes together to create an ensemble that can be worn even for a night out. “I sometimes incorporate the colours of my favourite superheroes into my outfit. Right now I am a big fan of Flash. So a lot of yellows and reds are finding their way into my wardrobe,” says Harsha V.K., a young mother. She’s eagerly looking forward to the next night out when she plans to wear a red playsuit teamed with a yellow blazer and lightning bolt earrings. “Wait, till you see me,” she grins as her month-old baby drools on her Fantastic Four apron.

The super villains too have their moments in the limelight. Fashion blogger Purushu Arie has always been enamoured with the eccentricity of The Joker’s character. “I drew inspiration from his costume by pairing a green shirt with fitted navy trousers, brown shoes and a muted purple blazer. It made me realise how versatile and underrated purple is in the menswear department,” he says.

Unisex T-shirts are not all. On international sites such as superherostuff.com and superheroden.com there are trendy swimwear, little fitted dresses, robes, corsets and rompers all with superheroes on them.

Superhero-themed movie nights and parties are no longer just a crowd of revellers in velvet/nylon/spandex garbs. There’s so much more to experiment with. “These events are an excuse to watch back-to-back films, drink Hulk-coloured jell-o shots, play with gadgets that our heroes use in the comics/films and in general just lounge about in our latest acquisitions featuring them,” says 31-yerar-old Govind Varma, a media professional.

What is it that makes these so popular? Vishnu Poduval, an ardent fan boy says, “We like to wear superhero-themed clothing as they are a statement that we stand by the values the heroes espouse. Fans also use it as a means to indicate that they agree with a lot of the social commentary that the authors weave into the stories.” The 26-year-old consultant’s favourite is Batman. “We can identify with him since he has no superpowers of his own and has to rely on his wit and skills to survive.”

Twenty-three-year-old Shrutilaya Ramanathan says that there is something inherently cool about a superhero. “They do the most amazing things, sometimes in very comical clothing,” she grins. Obsessed with the X-Men, she says, “When I wear these clothes I feel empowered... like I can do anything… That’s until I try and cross the road in Chennai.”

Considering she’s managed to cross roads all these years, the superheroes sure are doing their work.

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