Mens dressing is not an exciting market segment as compared to women dress-ware. It is the same dressing style which has been on and on for year, with only variation being formal and informal. It is more so in the formal segment. Now how do the clothing brands differentiate in formal menswear? This is where innovation is coming to their rescue.
Innovative smart clothes seems to be the solution different brands have found out to address this challenge of differentiating in this crowded and almost sedate segment of men’s formal wear. Brands are trying out few things – having shirts with self-adjusting sleeves as per the neck size, formal executive suits that can be folded and carried like a laptop, applying new technologies like sweat absorption and zero gravity to make dressing lighter, fresher – so on. These variations thriving on innovative technologies are on the rise.
Almost all the top brands have been trying out these variations to keep their nose ahead in this Rs 15000 crore market. Around 5 to 6 brands enjoy 20% of the market share. The line of thought which seems to be driving this market is how can brands innovate clothing to fit in the changing lifestyles of Indian men. With the IT industry flourishing, the men travel a lot, calling for the necessity of formal wear more lighter to carry around as well as crumble-free to use them under tight travel schedule. Van Huesen and Park Avenue have been front runners in coming up with such lightweight formal wear. Van Heusen has also launched a product like called Everclean, travel and rough use friendly formal shirts and trousers.
Wills Lifestyle with its skin care fabrics is another example of a brand trying to differentiate through introducing smart chothes. Time will tell on how many of them can withstand time and gain popularity. Anyway differentiation through innovations seems to the order of the day for formal mens wear clothing brands.
