Ethnic Indian menswear finds appeal in the West

Indian menswear is undergoing a transformation. What was earlier considered as an occasion wear or only festival wear, is now becoming accepted as regular modern wear. And this is as much true in India as it is overseas. So, one can see contemporary versions of Nehru jacket being retailed by ready-to-wear labels in New York or young men sporting a pair of Jodhpuri pants in London. At times, there are subtle hints of the East meeting the West in the form of a sherwani collar on a formal coat.

Novelty in Indian wear, bold experimentation

There are a variety of reasons for this perceptible change in men’s tastes. A major reason is the huge NRI presence that translates into a big market. When NRIs looked at smart shopping on their vacation back home, they found it made sense to buy something that was different from what was available to them in their adopted lands. Besides, e-tailers made it easy by offering online a variety of ethnic menswear options which could then be shipped to fashion savvy youngsters abroad. Even designers have started making Indian menswear attractive by adding extra ethic touches. Menswear designer Zubair Kirmani will be designing a set of kurtas with rare Kashmiri crafts and intricate tilla work because he believes that everyone is looking at owning a part of Indian heritage.

Cool but not totally practical

Even though the interest in Indian ethnic is on the rise, there are plenty of challenges before it can completely become commercial. Cloth shrinkage, garments losing their sheen after washing, use of old yarn etc. prevent the market potential and acceptance by global high street giants. Designer Troy Costa points out that it may be fine to promote khadi but to commercialise it becomes challenging. Khadi has high level of shrinkage and needs a pre-washing enzyme to make it durable. So, even though international designers from Armani to Gaultier have used Indian influences in their collections, the Indian ethnic market has had a minor presence on the global fashion map.

At the last Van Heusen and GQ Fashion Nights in Mumbai, American designer Alexander Wang and Bloomingdale’s Kevin Harter were present. Native Indian silhouettes such as achkans , Jawahar waistcoats and Jamas were showcased in an urban context. Even designer Raghavendra Rathore showcased a collection comprising classic Nehru jackets, Jawahar waistcoats, riding breeches, shirts and achkans. Designer Nida Mahmood has recently got into menswear and consciously chose to shoot her collection on a French model. As she says, the idea was to showcase the global appeal of handloom fabrics.

A study by retail consultant Technopak found that the ethnic wear market in India stood at Rs 82,220 crores (USD 12.6 billion) in 2014 and is projected to grow to USD 19.4 billion by 2019. Some experts say after blindly following the West, Indians are at an important point where they are taking pride in their identity.