Kurtas and Sherwani -The Legends in Indian Men’s Fashion Legacy
Men’s fashion clothing in India had become exclusive to certain events and therefore the fashion range, when it came to clothing was very limited. Beyond Kurta and Sherwani paired with either a simple Shalwar or a trouser, there was hardly anything else.
During the 50s and the 60s, even later down to the late 80s, men in India were fashionable, they would follow the latest national and international trends set by the fashion industry of the time, with checkered pants or printed shirts, neck scarves or other retro themes. But slowly and surely, came a decline in the men’s fashion scene. A time came when fashion became a women’s thing and remained so for a long time.
Recently, well not as recent as last year, but since quite a while men’s fashion is making a comeback. Many brands are introducing their latest collections every now and then, every year to be precise. While Men’s fashion may not be getting the same coverage as women’s fashion, it is certainly there and it is being paid attention to.
The problem however is, this time around men’s fashion clothing is limited to a few occasions; Weddings and Religious holidays. This makes a very simple issue give a complex result. With fashion brands emphasizing on personal events, it limits the influence of the fashion trend. Unlike in the past when fashion cloths for men were of a verity of range, this time around its either a Kurta or a Sherwani. Fashion brands for men’s clothing come up with new design collection of the same clothing. With tweaks here and there, it’s essentially the same thing redone to make it look different. The effect you may ask?
Lack of innovation, lack of interest, and importantly, lower and slower business. I mean how many times could a man marry? How many Eids, Christmases or Diwali’s a year could a man celebrate? If he has to be fashionable hardly three to four times a year, how much could the men’s fashion industry benefit per person?
Fashion brands for men have limited men’s fashion such that most men have no need for it most of their lives, leading to lack of interest. There just is not much new, not is there anything more casual. All the casual fashion cloths are too ordinary for their price or too classy to be worn ordinarily.
There is a need for fashion industry to change the approach towards men’s fashion, price being one, variety being the other. Fashion designers forget their target audience is not much flashy, nor do they celebrate much. The approach in the past was different. Designs were made, innovated, and above all they were for all classes of men. There is a dire need for more types of clothing, a dire need to broaden the spectrum of Indian men’s fashion. There is also a dire need for such to go international. Unless the spectrum of fashion clothing for men is broadened, Men’s fashion will be limited to Sherwani and Kurtas, and hence limited to weddings and Eid.