Top brands create innovative shirts for New Age men

Apparel companies such as Arvind Lifestyle Brands, Raymond and Future Group are weaving technology into their products to innovate for millennial consumers and boost sales. Arrow from Arvind Lifestyle Brands has a smart shirt that comes with an in-built chip on the cuff that can be programmed by downloading the Arrow mobile app on a smart phone. It allows the wearer to share things like his LinkedIn profile, his Facebook profile or visiting card, play his favorite songs on the phone or switching his phone to meeting mode through a tap on the shirt's cuff with a smart phone. The shirt can be washed or ironed like any other shirt.

Urbana, a Future Lifestyle men's premium formal wear brand, is built entirely on the concept of technology and innovation in clothing. From anti-spill to anti-microbial, temperature control to super crease, Urbana has over a dozen breakthrough technologies in fabric.

Raymond’s fabric called Technosmart has four unique properties --UV resistant, breathability, smooth touch and wrinkle resistance. Fashion and technology operated independently in the past but are now becoming intertwined with each other and the smart shirt is a step in this direction.

The presence of a large, young internet-savvy consumer base in the country is forcing apparel companies to re-think their strategies.