Looking for a black-ish grey shirt with velvet motifs or a particular shade of lemon yellow in linen, and all you get is black with houndstooth and a yellow that makes you look like someone dropped a can of turmeric on you…what do you do? Try and dye or give up on it? Or perhaps you could give Tailorman a shot. The new apparel destination is for men seeking bespoke creations and offers an array of material and patterns to choose from. Started by Bangalore-based Vidya Nataraj and Gautam Golchha last year, Tailorman opened its store in Chennai in December 2013. As of now Bangalore and Chennai are the only two cities with a store but that doesn’t mean people across the country can’t try out the services. It’s also available online. The website lists a collection of jackets, blazers, shirts, suits, pants and pocket squares…about 2,000 styles in all with new collections being added almost every week. It looks like those online shopping websites but the only difference is here they make your outfit right from scratch. You decide the fabric, print, colour, add your specifications and provide your size.
“We noticed a gap in the market. There was either the option of readymade garment shops where fabric is limited, or tailors. And the clients would have to compromise on the price, quality or fit,” says Vidya who has a background in retail and has also founded Bluestone.com. She joined Gautam who runs a garment manufacturing unit and started this venture.
Interestingly, they have the concept of a Travelling Tailor, for clients who are too busy/lazy to visit the store and prefer getting their measurements taken at home. The final outfit is couriered and can be sent back for further alterations. The orders take about 10-12 days to get completed. Tailorman also has a few return policies based on your mode of purchase.
Gautam says that about 25 per cent of their clients order online. “A majority of our online customers are from NCR and we also have many from the North-east region and Tier II and III cities as well,” he adds. The number of clients from this city is about 400 as of now. “While we get entry-level clients, most of our Chennai-based clients are the well-travelled ones. They know exactly what they are looking for,” he says, adding, “And trend-wise we are two seasons ahead of the U.S.!”
Bandhgalas, waistcoats and suits are what’s trending right now. “Sometimes clients also ask us for unusual prints. Once somebody wanted a print of himself with two different looks — with hair and without on the lining of his suit, and we got in touch with all our suppliers world over and got that done for him. If you have time on your hands, we can get done whatever you are looking for,” he adds. And if the ladies are feeling left out, there’s good news as Tailorman plans to launch bespoke career wear for women as well.
For details, log onto www.tailorman.com
