Madura Garments

Opportunities for mens fashion in small town India

Our process
Fundamental enquiry to understand nature of change in small town India Within that to understand the evolving nature of masculinity in small town India Factors that shape & influence masculinity How does masculinity manifest itself in terms of clothing and fashion Mapping fashion trends across tier 2 towns

Methodology
Primary enquiry across 4 centres , Aurangabad, Bareilly, Salem & Asansol In-depth conversations with close to 100 people around Their life Work Clothing Change Women Documenting street fashion, small town in collaboration with photographer / fashion blogger Drawing from our work on small time India; Bharat Darshan

Big shifts in small town India

Small town is entrenched in a homogeneous collective

Yahaan sab, sab ko jaante hain Sab family kee tarah hain

But today, spores of the city being blown into small town life

Preparatory Schools& accessing new skills

Meaning of education is slowly detaching itself from a mental faculty and aligning to body

Today education is about imbibing symbols & simulating behavior codes of a profession

Accessing mobility through body

body is an entity to be maintained and decorated so that it could engage in a world where fluency of body language is becoming important

Fashioning self to escape the collective

Entrepreneurial energy

Myth of Self-invention: make your own from what is available

Not the reinvention of the jaded

Same to same nahi banane ka. Chaar mix kar do, ek ban jayegi!

Hum log all to all cheezon ka knowledge liya hai. Sab cheezon ko mila ke chalte hain, jisme in jo badiya laga usko catch kar liya. Ekjageh fix ho jayenge to khatam ho jayenge.

In this context
How is mens clothing evolving

Many faces of men some changing while some others resisting the change
Patriarch Patriarch in modern clothes Official man Relaxed office goer The Individual

Cultural dress code

Shirt-Pant dress code

formal dress code

Mixed code

Body code

Mens fashion landscape: Aurangabad

Mens fashion landscape: Bareilly

Mens fashion landscape: Bareilly

Mens fashion landscape: Asansol

Shirt Pant Clothes shrouding the patriarch

Roles that men played; that of protector and provider of family

Kaam karte waqt haath pao chalne hahiye.readymade aur jeans wagarah chust rehtee hain

Self which was shrouded in loose attire of manhood is beginning to get defined sharply through tight fitting
Wanting to move out of fathers shadow Chust mori wale pant Need to appear and look like you are capable Yet when it comes to wife, she is not a life partner but help for aging parents

Formal wear: Mobility through institutional hierarchy

Representing not self but an institution Main khada hoon matlab karbon khada hai formal dress code to belong to an official cadre Elevating but binding Sober colours Stripes Office mein kuch tadak bhadak nahin

Loosely coded formals

Room for individual Jeans with formal shirt Subversion through accessories and styling

Expressive world of casuals; not bound by institutions

The identity entrepreneurs Clothes that accentuate the body Jeans shaam ko .. Badhiyaan dekhengi na
Funky Designer Pencil/ narrow Short / tight Fitting / body hugging

Various dress codes

Strict formals Diluted versions of formals Casuals Formal mixed with casuals

Lets start with formals and how it is getting influenced

Formals: Pride in the Institution

Main khada hoon matlab Karbon khada hai Only pvt. Sector banking employees can afford branded formals

Shedding self and stepping into an uniform

Lack of style or no style means formals

Need to escape the grip of institution

The other significant behavior Constant attempts to get away with something

Slim trousers, sandals, jeans & shirt

However not everybody abides by proper code

Shirt tucked out: power resides in me & not in the institution To not allow the institution to take over the self completely

Denims: Entering the formal code

Changing institutional landscape & the need to learn formal codes

Interview mein kya peheney? From Government jobs to private sector

Retail influence

Calibrating formality as per the context

Making small adjustments to given structures Not a rigid classification of clothes, but playing with individual elements Govt . Vs. private Indian vs. MNC

Local formal vs. MNC formal

During meeting vs. after meeting

Self peeking through the uniform

Teasers Minor design elements in formals Those who need brands go for readymade, those who need little design come to us
Owner of Tailoring shop upgrading to a design studio

Fashion is not rebelling against the idea of conformity, but play-acting conformity
Subversion of formalwear codes The un-tucked shirt, sandals with formalwear

Wearing jeans as work wear

Faux tie built into shirts

Escaping Institution and discovering self through the body

Playing-off the body emerging as a dominant narrative

New vocabulary
Funky Designer Pencil fit Tight and body hugging Short shirt Narrow jeans

narrow jeans &stylish belts as a symbol of this new masculinity

Loaded with detailing that focus on the masculine body chest, arms
While the formal stripes put the body behind the bars,
the checks structure the body

Allowing the body to speak desired language

Fashion is not merely accessing looks but a whole new vocabulary

Shoes, accessories like caps, belts, leggings, sunglasses

Expressive language for inarticulate youth

Profusion of casual wear, accessories

More body surface that can talk

Designer as a euphemism for the need to access an expressive language

Changing surface facilitating internal transformation

The putting on of sunglasses The scarf / gamchha and the tightening of resolve or loosening into leisure Locating a new reality or context within The importance of the Mumbai / Delhi tag

Constantly expanding vocabulary

Rejecting whats popularly yesterday Adopting aajkal kya chalta hai Running & latest item Roz kuch naya aa jata hai .

Formals change slowly as compared to casuals

Fashion: playing with different codes to expand vocabulary

shurta

Obsolescence over durability

Aajkal aadmi yeh chah raha hai roz kuch naya pehne Purana jaldi pheke aur kuch naya le

Ab dusshera diwali ka Koi wait nahin karta. Jab note aaye kuch le liya

But Indian male not fluent in language of body

Excited about expressing self but not conversant with the new fashion discourse

Seeking help from bollywood and facilitators of fashion

When people come we tell them about facials and new services, lot of people convert..sometimes thier wives get them here.

Body adolescence
Exploring multiple options Body as a canvass to be adorned

But no formed sense of whats body appropriate

What one can carry off and what one cant

In the new fashion discourse where identity is liberated from societal structure, the sources from where identity can be borrowed multiply manifold

Is pink a sign of feminization

Not in small towns Things considered feminine are one amongst many options available to men

Despite all the exploration there are some who maintain distance from the fashion tamasha

Fashion principles
Negotiating everyday live and its demands Responding to institutional structure and class hierarchy (often through the body) Child-like subversion of rigid structures defined by the world of brands (and the big city) Discovering body as a medium of expression for ones masculinity Connect with a constantly updating vocabulary that evokes dynamism and mobility surface in change facilitating an internal journey & transformation

Two worldviews
Institutionalized
Formals as a metaphor

Deinstitutionalized
Jean & fitting clothes as a metaphor World of fashion Outlines self Seeking attention

World of brands Marks social status Commanding respect

Aligning to Institution

Negotiating Institution

Liberation from Institution

World of brands
Mobility through alignment to big names and institution Linear and slow growth Readymade templates over personal choice Sanitized order adhering EBOs

World of fashion
Speaks to the new masculinity emerging in small town Plethora of choices No templates to be followed

Some retail principles

Hidden formals vs. showcased casuals

Formal shirt packaging on the sides..not at the forefront formals often referred to as dabbe wale kapde

Only eye level display cared for

Complete reliance on the shopkeeper

Display esp. in case of formal wear takes a backseat Stacked according to the price braceket Being more organised & institutional,color ,patterns and design are secondary Displayed post buyer profiling

Customer with a 'condition'

Retailer as an authoritative 'fashion diagnostician'

Recommends a solution - picked out from the nameless boxes lining the shelves (pulls out a box that he believes is the suitable solution for the customer) Reminiscent of chemist stores - drawers on the wall, information lies with the retailer Not just a salesperson, but makes a more upstream contribution

Fashion Evangelists
Tutoring fashion Soft skilled instigator a tease, a titillating instigation that evokes desire Handholding them into the ritual and aesthetics of fashion Transferring the knowledge of cool

The hot-selling street stall hawker

Represents the 'latest' in fashion High decibel hawking of items at the peak of their popularity and relevance Fads rather than fashion Items sold by the 'heat' of their popularity..not a place for classics

The seamless-ness of fashion spaces

Not standalone stores Market spot as an aggregated fashion exchange (many apparel shops lined against each other)

Codes at play
Active engagement with the merchandize Shopkeeper not a dukaandaar but a guide to fashion

Shopping means going to many shops and not one large store

Implications

New brand opportunities

Power dressing for small towns

Reinforcing Institutional hierarchy Current images of Van Huesen are alienating for small town men How can a brand evoke the emotion of main khada hoon matlab karbon khada hai through formals

Power distancing through spotless white

White has an interesting and enduring cultural theme. Connotes a complex set of classical power and masculine codes Brand that speaks to the one who take pride in remaining unaffected by vibrant changes around them

Shirt pant brand for the dutiful family man

Wearing formals casually this seems to be the biggest chunk of the consumers This is the man who prides in living up to his role purushottam ideal A brand that celebrates and reaffirms this ideal Distinct design language: cuts that accentuate square shoulders, simplicity and bareness of design elements, body cloaking Vs body hugging Drawing from the fundamental desire to be looked up to as a provider, the foundation of stability

Dynamism of entrepreneurs
The small town entrepreneur feels subservient in conventional formal wear However small his empire might be he is the master of it There is literally no demarcation between work life and leisure in his mind Always involved in his work Always bringing flair of his persona to his environment He feels formalwear constrains his dynamism, instead of carrying it through

Dynamism of entrepreneurs
A brand/line which brings dynamic elements to formal wear borrowing from leisure wear but making it purposeful rather than frivolous like a party wear Work wear denims, mixing colors, cuts borrowed from leisure wear, outdoors gear anything but the shirt-tie-belt format

Positioning it as the self-made kings wear

Negotiating Institution through design and product range

In the new fashion discourse where identity is liberated from societal structure, the sources from where identity can be borrowed multiply manifold
Instead of formal wear casualizing can individual interest / needs be formalized
Car / bikes/ music as inspiration for formals Biker formals

Colour stories
Personalization through colour identification Colour worldviews
White Red Yellow Blue Grey

Calibrating formality as per context and occasion

Consumer with a condition
Interview Local company vs. MNC Marriage Meeting everyday

Accessories that allow for polite subversion

A big market, with hardly any brands Accessing an expressive language Sling bags Sweaty Gamcha stripped of its purpose to pose as neck scarf

Not rebelling but playing with the codes of conformity

Tie / waist coat built into shirt

Sense of newness through new forms .. new vocabulary

Chinos as a vocabulary not relevant Can there be a ground up terms that small town male can relate to Like biker office wear

Self peeking through the formal code

Teaser designs Each element is accentuated unlike metros where the purpose of experimenting with plackets etc is to keep it understated in smaller towns it is about extracting more value, packing more design

Fashion in small-towns
Retail rather than brand driven

Fashion destinations: Not a pilgrimage

Not the urban, metro brand pilgrimage of going to a Levis store or a particular mall The consumer is not a wide-eyed wanderer A different kind of a destination in small towns A whole street, market, many stores, many worlds simultaneously

Not a pilgrimage but a guided package tour

The Indian way to travel and experience new things Not one but many destinations in a compact format

Not an open exploration, but broken down into consumable parts

The must see or the must have

Sales-personalities not sales persons

Exuding an ownership of the stock they sell Communicating an ability to lead the fashion choosing and buying behavior of the customer

Helping people develop fluency with language of body

The changing room experience explosion
given the increasing role of the body & the absence of such facilities in a traditional retail formats Many mirrors, lights

Dynamic mannequins
The expressive body language of small towns, not just a hanger for clothes

The language of grooming institutes

Guidance for those seeking formalwear codes How to be formal yet bend some rules

Stylized Mannequins
In metros, the objective is to display the cuts, styling of the garment In small towns on the other hand, the focus is on the pose of the mannequin rather than the garment Consumers are buying the mood, body language, swagger that comes with the styling

Not locked in brands but a space representing a fashion options and choice
Designed to draw people as a 'destination Representing a space much larger than a 'store

Store as social etiquette dispenser (esp. in context of office wear)

The small towner constantly striving to move up the social ladder trying to keep pace with the metro guy The profusion of grooming institutes, English speaking classes as signs of acquiring the relevant know how & mannerisms The store as a sign of dispensing social etiquettes

Not sections within store but stores-in-store

Continuous aisle that let's customers move from shop to shop within the larger boundary of the store Alleviating the sense of being 'stuck' in one store Structurally more like an exhibition space with individual stalls within a larger space

Mimicking the main market place

Hawking' spots within the store for specific merchandise

Sunglasses, accessories - trendy items Fad over fashion Sales person as the mannequin

Key principles
Pride in institution Need to escape the institution Calibrating formality as per the context Self peeking through the uniform Play acting the codes of formality Emergence of body masculinity Fashion is about constant sense of newness Fashion is about reinventing forms and vocabulary Retail ; complete reliance on shopkeeper Fashion evangelism / diagnostician Surface in change facilitating internal transformation

Key principles contd..

Subversion by striping things of their purpose Design as a language for inarticulate youth Individual formalizing over Formals casualizing