The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has put together India’s first ever menswear week, but there are mixed reactions about the scope and impact of the move.
As a buyer, Pradeep Hirani — who owns the Kimaya chain of stores — feels that while a menswear fashion week is a positive step, it may not necessarily meet with success. “I can easily tell you the names of a good twenty cities which host womenswear fashion weeks but when it comes to exclusive menswear, I would struggle to name even five. And that’s because the concept of a menswear fashion week hasn’t really taken off the world over. Sure, a city like Milan still hosts one but otherwise, the success rate of a men’s fashion week has been low all this while,” he says matter-of-factly, adding that menswear accounts for just around 20 per cent of his business revenue.
He further explains that this is mainly due to the fact that the menswear segment has always been dominated by established brands. “Very few menswear designers have the infrastructure for a large scale production and distribution system as opposed to the womenswear designers. Most of the designers are just equipped to produce garments for the ramp and the shoots. That’s also why designer outfits are not always meant for the average Indian man,” he points out.
Arjun Bhasin, fashion director, GQ India, feels that designer wear — be it for men or women — is not meant for the lay person in any case. “Sure, certain fashion trends do trickle down to the masses but you never see it get copied in its entirety. That’s because such fashion is targeted for a niche group that can afford it and carry it off well. While I am very excited to be at India’s first ever men’s fashion week, I must say that all the participating designers have shown their menswear lines earlier as well so I don’t see the fashion week make a world of difference to men’s fashion in India,” he says.
However, designer Raghavendra Rathore (who is not showing at the men’s fashion week due to a prior commitment) thinks that this exclusive men’s fashion week may work towards strengthening the fashion cycle in the men’s segment. “The way things have been going till now, there hasn’t been much difference between a shirt from the spring-summer season and one from the autumn-winter season. But with an institutionalised men’s fashion week in place, menswear designers will feel the need to actually create some remarkable clothes which in turn should boost the market for designer menswear in India,” Raghavendra notes.
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