New Age Indian men fuel demand for trendy ethnics

Ethnic wear may form a small part of overall men’s wear segment, but demand is rising steadily. And this has increased brand play in the segment. Men’s ethnics market is seeing a flux of brands making an entry and each is luring consumers with its creativity, designs and offerings.

Stylish ethnics for modern men

Ethnic wear has always been in demand in India, a country that boasts of rich tradition, diverse cultures and festive/wedding season. But it is only in recent times that men’s ethnic wear has undergone a sea change. Several factors have contributed to this. One major agent for growth is the New Age Indian man’s growing awareness of fashion trends, and willingness to experiment.

Men like to dress differently for every occasion. This has given a boost to ethnics market and pushed up demand for different styles. Now brands are becoming increasingly creative and innovative with designs, colours and fabrics. With weddings, festivals and celebrations at almost every turn, men’s ethnic wear is as much in demand as women’s. Another reason for market growth is the younger generation is more stylish, fashion conscious and open to change. The trend-savvy generation, also has higher disposable incomes. They know exactly what they are looking for and brands are more than happy to pander to their ever-rising demands. They introduce new collections every season according to prevailing fashion trends.

As Anil M Kubadia, Proprietor, MAX, a brand that offers apparels, footwear and accessories explains, “Every season, we introduce a fresh collection of international designs especially customised for Indian market. The brand adopts changing needs of customers every season and accordingly introduces new designs, silhouettes and fabrics.”

Trendspotting in men’s ethnics

As demand keeps changing, brands come up with newer collections and add to their portfolio. They innovate with designs, patterns, fabrics, cuts and styles. “We introduced short length kurtas and Patiala suits four- five years back,” says Nilesh Gala, Director, Mantra. Now, they also make Chinese collars, high-neck collars, waist-coats and kurtas with Rajneeti -style jackets.

Since Mantra’s target audience is largely young generation, the brand focuses more on them. Though, they do have a range for those over 45 years. “Almost 90 percent of the fabrics we use are silk and 10 percent are others like jute, brocade and jacquard. For winter, we have different fabrics, colours, patterns, etc,” explains Gala talking about the new range.

Kubadia too informs that they introduce a fresh collection of international designs, which is customized to meet Indian tastes. “The brand adopts to changing needs of customers every season and introduces new designs, silhouettes and fabrics. Similarly, the fabric we use is pure cotton and linen,” he elaborates.