Male Order

Designer Sahiba J Singh seems to have noticed the gap and has studied the market to suit the needs of these men. Working out of her studio in Sector 7,Singh is better known for her spunky yet subtle,traditional yet contemporary style of womenswear. But having dressed up the likes of Vikram Chatwal for his traditional wedding,silk turbans for singer Malkit Singh and politician and anchor Navjot Singh Sidhu,Singh’s now spreading wings with her menswear collection. “Often when I am designing outfits for weddings,I get requests to dress up the men in the family as well,” says Singh,who unlike most designers,who prefer to work on modern silhouettes,has made tradition her USP.

Her new menswear collection for the season is all about the royal Sikh look,which she is proud of. “I feel we should make the most of our heirloom fashion,” she adds,as we notice smart achkans teamed with salwars for men in her line-up. “Men are very fussy about fits and don’t like ornate styling. So I am balancing both with a hint of embellishments on collars and cuffs,” explains the designer,who has used fabrics like crepe,brocade and silks for her collection. The response to it,she says,has been encouraging. “Men,unlike what we presume,love attention to detail and I am taking orders as they come in,” she admits.

Also looking to tap the menswear market,is designer Shweta Uttam. An alumnus of NIFT Delhi,Uttam has been working for the past nine years with international fashion and buying apparel groups like Triburg Apparels and Li & Fung Limited,where she designed concepts and collections for the US and European markets. “I specialise in menswear and having worked with teams from Armani Exchange,Calvin Klein Jeans and DKNY,I decided to branch out and roll out my own label in my hometown,” says Uttam. Her label,Shoolini Designs,debuted a few weeks back at Hotel Aroma and was a sellout. Using her global experience,Uttam has designed shirts — a mix of formal and semi-formal,even resort wear,that are styled smartly and priced at Rs 1,200 onwards. “Chandigarh has a great potential for any brand and I wanted to launch at the right time,” says Uttam,who finds men very conscious about quality and fabrics used. “Since this is the festive season,I wanted to offer ethnic kurtas in order to gauge the market,” says Uttam. The kurtas in paper silk had minimal styling with focus on fabrics and were a welcome change from the usual cotton ones. “I am open to customisation as well and will be focusing only on menswear. Men need choices too,” concludes Uttam.