The sartorial landscape of the Indian corporate world has changed dramatically in the recent past. Before economic liberalization, there weren't many global brands to choose from, as foreign fashion labels were kept out of India due to protectionist policies that blocked a whole range of goods, including apparel.

Things, however, have changed since the 1990s, and men in the corporate world have become bolder in their tastes. Men's wear has become a lot more colorful. The brands that have entered the Indian market range from Peter England and John Player, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Arrow, Park Avenue, to Hugo Boss and Dockers, among others.

Fashion designer Ravi Bajaj, who does a range of clothes for men, says even small-town people today know who Giorgio Armani is, thanks to satellite television. There is awareness among men and women about the need to be well groomed, he says. "People now want to exhibit their status not only by the kind of houses and the cars they buy, but through the clothes they wear as well."

Indian men have moved away from wearing only tailored apparel to wearing a mix of readymade and tailored clothing. The director of global marketing research company Taylor Nelson Soffres-India, Tilak Mukherji says, "I prefer a combination of readymade and stitched apparel. In shirts, I like Arrow and buy their range of shirts. For the past 15-20 years I have been wearing Four Seasons shirts, a brand that now no longer exists. I like getting my suits stitched, some of my friends like buying Armani suits. Although I have inherited most of my ties, I have a tie-fetish, I like buying Versace ties sometimes." He is passionate about perfumes and stacks a complete international range of men's perfumes, and adds that he likes kurta pyjama for casual wear.

Some feel that, globally, corporate men's wear tends to reflect the profession that they are in. The secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Amit Mitra, says, "All over the world, the corporates dress the same way. Dress codes have symbolic value, for example, pinstriped suits." Bankers, whether in the U.S. or Japan, have a similar dress code, he says, adding, "Work day wear and evening wear tend to be different.''

Although Mitra is not a clothes-lover, he does have to apply his mind to it. He is at the top of the corporate ladder and there are many high-flyers that he meets. "When we accompanied Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to the U.S., there was a reception at the White House lawns where the dress code was specified in the invitation as either black tie or national dress," he recalls. "Several of us were not carrying a Nehru jacket, so we had to rent a tuxedo for that evening. The Indian women there, of course, wore saris. Then you have evenings where the dress code is specified as `smart casual,' so then you know that it is not going to be a stodgy evening. If you are going to the golf club for lunch, you know that it may not be a stiff affair and you dress accordingly. Dress codes even in a corporate ambience indicate the nature of the workplace and people naturally try and blend."
Bajaj, who offers alternate corporate wear that is more bold and stylish, says, "Indians like value for money. I offer for men styles that are neo-classic, classic and sportswear. In gentlemen's clothing, I offer suits that are made in Italy which are stylish with their classic cuts. Corporate wear in India has been very English and understated, whereas I would advise apparel which is more Italian or French as they are much more of a fashion statement."

Although Bajaj is known for his men's wear, he designs women's wear as well. He did not, however, wish get into the pricing policy of his clothes range, which happens to high by Indian standards. "In the foreign high-end range," he says, "Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss are doing well in India." He is, however, popular with Indian corporate consumers, a fact acknowledged by his peers.

Men's fashions may have something to do with the weather. For years, Indian men have shown a marked preference for white or shades of white for the shirts they wore. This is changing dramatically, in the Indian workplace and elsewhere. Says Phillip Ninan, manager, legal, of STAR India Pvt. Ltd., a private satellite television channel in India, "I think there is a consciousness about branded wear in corporate India now. Ties and suits in the Indian corporate world are still not a must. I would say the younger set go for smart casuals. For office wear, I quite often purchase at Allen Solly, which is a one-stop shop for office wear. Comfort is important to me. I am a cotton freak. The fabric is very elegant and extremely comfortable. I go for different colors in shirts such as red, yellow and blue. So, yes, the workplace fashion-trend in India is changing."

There is a general belief that a fashion statement is a power statement. A lot of men who are sartorially aware do not think spending on clothes is a female fetish. Pankaj Khanna, partner at Entertainment Solution Providers India Ltd., an event management company, always checks out the Ravi Bajaj summer collection. And when abroad, he shops at Calvin Klein stores for casual wear. He likes Giordano jeans and T-shirts. In the past five years there has been a great evolution in workplace fashion culture for men, he says.

Khanna loves having a mix of the old and the new. "I have an old collection of suits but I have three or four suits that I have bought of designers such as Ravi Bajaj and Rohit Gandhi," he says. "I like black shoes for office wear. I tend to buy Hugo Boss where the shoe collection starts from Rs 10, 000 to Rs 12, 000, and Rockford where the shoes are priced at Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000."

In the Indian corporate world, for long the Western look has been favored. It is said that, globally, men like looking the same in terms of their dress code, unlike women, who instinctively like looking different from the rest. Says high-end fashion designer David Abraham, "At the top level, in the corporate world, men look at European fashion labels. In the past 10 years, with the opening up of the Indian economy, a lot of foreign labels in men's wear have entered the market. There has been an awareness of fashion, people have developed a visual vocabulary and a fashion idiom. Perhaps the younger generation in the corporate world is more aware, however, across all age groups there is a greater awareness about labels. Some like wearing pure cotton, wool or linen whereas some prefer wash and wear and crease-free apparel. People now are definitely into labels."

Indian men have come a long way. No longer are they willing to be satisfied with a pair of long-lasting suits as part of their wardrobe tailor-made for all occasions. In fact, men's wear is steadily catching up with women's wear in terms of styling and design. According to a research study sponsored by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in 1998, "The textile and apparel industry grew phenomenally in the late eighties and nineties. Its emergence as a high-growth sector and major foreign-exchange earner through exports made the government and industry watchers take the study and pursuit of fashion seriously."

Interestingly, the report mentions that the apparel industry is in the "decentralized" or in the domain of the private sector with "25,000 manufacturing units spread all over the country; 80 percent of the units are small scale."

According to Kamal Bose, a divisional manager in ITC's lifestyle retail division, "Corporate wear in India is moving slowly towards smart casual. Bankers and consultants may not give up on their jacket and tie, but in the FMCG sector men's wear is moving towards a more relaxed style. Of course, there are work shirts and leisure shirts. In the work shirts category, men are wearing very high quality cotton, which may be pastels rather than the time-tested whites and stripes."

Elaborating on his organization's policy to keep up with the changing fashion trend, Bose adds, "The ITC brand Wills designs men's and women's office wear and sportswear. We have evening wear as well, which are darker colored, metallic or lycra shirts. We use embroidery as well. A number of the business process outsourcing guys tend to go to pubs or discotheques in the evenings, and they want suitable wear for an evening out. They have a lot of disposable income. Indians are no longer spending all their time saving. They are willing to blow up their money. Of course, this is a relatively younger workforce.''

So, the foreign labels that come into the country will surely have a run for their money. Hopefully, this will have a cascading effect on the quality of domestic apparel and pricing.

DO YOU KNOW A FASHIONABLE MAN IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT MAKES HIM SO HIP? WHAT FASHION TREND ARE YOU SAD TO SEE GO? WHAT FASHION TREND ARE YOU GLAD HAS DISAPPEARED? EMAIL US YOUR THOUGHTS AT INFO@INDIANLIFEANDSTYLE.COM.