Not all of us can get hold of, or afford, a Scott Morrison creation. Yes, I’m referring to jeans from Paper Denim & Cloth, Earnest Sewn and 3x1. That last brand, I’m told, uses single-needle sewing machines, hand-painted enamel buttons and custom-made RiRi zippers from Switzerland on even its regular jeans while the bespoke service creates one-of-a-kind denim silhouettes from a choice of 260 fabrics for valued clients. But then, value-for-money-mad India is unlikely to cough up $295-$475 for regular jeans and upwards of $1,200 for a bespoke pair.
But what if you had to pay under Rs 3,000 for a pair of jeans that you’ve chosen the fabric, accessories and detailing for? Three Indian players say there is a definite market here for custom-made jeans.
Delhi-based Korra sold over a hundred pairs of such jeans for men and women in the first six weeks of its site going live this June. The price? `2,900. Started by Shyam Sukhramani, Himanshu Shani, Mia Morikawa and Rajesh Jaju—all former Levi’s employees and designers—Korra offers its customers the freedom to choose their own fabric, detailing and accessories, as well as a ‘one-tailor-one-garment’ philosophy. “One master tailor is assigned one pair of jeans, which comes with the tailor’s name handwritten on the label,” explains Sukhramani. While anyone across India can order online (on http://korra.in, choosing fabric, fit et al), only customers based in Delhi-NCR can avail the ‘try-on-at-home’ service wherein a stylist comes visiting with an assortment of sizes, fits and fabrics for the customer to choose from. The jeans, finished at the Delhi unit, are delivered within 10-12 working days of order placement.
Much before Korra Jeans—which is looking to collaborate with other online distribution channels—there was Arvind. The company that owns the denim brands Flying Machine, Newport and Excalibur launched an ‘Arvind Denim Lab (ADL)’ in Hyderabad in 2010. The idea was to cater to people who abhor off-the-shelf produce. “Here, customers could walk into the store, try the fits, and select fabric, accessories, threads and inner lining before giving measurements to an ‘ADL champ’. They could even get their name or zodiac sign embroidered on the label,” says Kulin Lalbhai, executive director, new initiatives, Arvind Limited. The customised piece was delivered within 14 days. Today, ADL offers clients 17 styles of fabrics and fits in jeans that cost between Rs 2,499 and Rs 3,299. There are 83 stores across the country providing the service, located mostly in southern and western India.
The third player in this space, It’s My Life (IML), started operations in 2012, through trunk shows in Delhi and Gurgaon. This is a home service brand where people can book an appointment with a stylist through the website (www.imljeans.com) or over the phone. The stylist brings over the brand’s range of fabrics, trims and accessories. Two weeks later, the jeans–which are made at the brand’s Gurgaon unit–are presented for a final fitting and payment. At Rs 4,900 to Rs 17,900, the IFL jeans are the costliest of the bunch. Still, the brand sells 200 pieces a month, with the ‘honeymoon trousseau special’, where a couple can get their names embroidered on the jeans, selling the most. IFL operates only in Delhi-NCR but plans to launch in Mumbai this August, according to CEO Aditya Singhal.
All three players say they find themselves having to constantly justify their ‘hefty’ price tag. Rohit Rajpal of Exotique Exports, which launched (and shut down) one of India’s earliest indigenous denim brands, Mystic Monk, has an answer to that. “Yes, you may get a pair of Levi’s for less. But readymade jeans are one-size-fits-all,” he says. These brands have not only spent time and money on research (like who in which city wears what), they’re also offering customisation at two levels, wet processing (washing denim) and dry processing (stitching). That has to be factored into the price. Plus, these brands are entering the market at the right time, when customers want to be trendsetters, and not just followers.”
Not surprising then that Rajpal says he is toying with the idea of re-launching Mystic Monk soon. Watch this space.