Menswear brands log on to e-retail bandwagon

With more and more men willing to loosen their purse strings on clothes and accessories, many menswear players are logging onto the e-commerce space to fulfil the rising demand. In fact, many web platforms like Elitify.com, Pernia Qureshi’s The Men’s

Shop, GujralSons and SBJ House of Luxury are cashing in on the growth opportunity for menswear.

A research done by Elitify.com reveals, men’s market is growing rapidly at a 13 percent annually compared to 10 percent for women. The fastest growing segment of online commerce is fashion, and it’s being propelled by men and they prefer shopping online as it is convenient and efficient.

Another report by ASSOCHAM showed the online retail industry in India is likely to be worth Rs 7,000 crores by 2015 and the credit goes to easy internet access and availability of broadband services. The survey conducted by ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation (ASDF) is based on interactions with 500 shoppers in the age group 16 to 35 years in 10 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Lucknow and Jaipur.

No wonder, everyone from e-retailers to designers is logging on the net to sell their products. Take Pernia Qureshi for example, the pop-up shop recently launched ‘The Men’s Shop’ which stocks menswear designer clothes from the likes of Rajesh Pratap Singh, Karan Johar + Varun Bahl, Atsu Sekhose, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna and Raghuvendera Rathore. On offer are formal suits, pants and shirts as well as laidback denims, kurtas, shorts and accessories.

If designers are cashing in on the online trend, so are conventional menswear brands. GujralSons, a 40-year-old brand catering to men's ethnic wear, has also come up with exclusive wedding collection that is being retailed through their website as well as at their stores. It has a range of sherwanis, suits, kurta pajamas among others. Most top fashion brands too have taken the e-route to increase their sales. Online shops are also evolving by focusing on concepts such as Dial-a-Suit as introduced by SBJ House of Luxury - a men’s apparel brand.