Menswear's Meteoric Rise In India

After playing second fiddle to womenswear for decades, the men’s apparel segment in India is expected to clock a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8 per cent by 2020, hitting USD19 billion.

- Neeti Mehra

Ornate turbans, ceremonial armaments, ostentatious clothing and exquisite jewellery, India’s erstwhile maharajas’ impeccable sartorial preferences went down the annals of history. The royalty favoured global luxury houses such as Jeanne Paquin, Schiaparelli, Van Cleef & Arpels, Ferragamo as well as Indian artisans. But over the decades, and since independence, menswear has taken a backseat to womenswear in India, not only in terms of style, but also investment. Womenswear not only occupies more retail space, but also reams of newsprint and attention in the mainstream. But things are now changing. According to a report from Edelweiss Broking, the men’s apparel segment in India is expected to clock a CAGR of 8 per cent by 2020, hitting USD19 billion.

Traditionally, the luxe market catered mainly to occasion wear, with a few ready-to-wear stores thrown in the mix. But in recent times, homegrown labels such as Raymond, Kunal Rawal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Troy Costa, SS HOMME, Bombay Shirt Company jostle for space along with international labels such as Massimo Dutti, Brooks Brothers, Paul Smith, Ermenegildo Zegna. Clearly, menswear in India is coming of age.

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