Custom-made Italian suits for rich, overweight Indian men now available

When a very wellknown Mumbaibased industrialist wanted to order a set of suits each priced at nearly one lakh from one of the top Italian fashion houses some years ago he was told that while he could buy the suits from their Readytowear RTW line the company not be able to keep his request for MadetoMeasure MTM suits The reason MTM suits were only done till size 44 In the organisations own definition of hierarchy anyone above size 44 did not deserve to have their measurements taken So the poor man a very rich man actually would wear his Rs 45 lakh Patek Philippe watch and handmade Berluti shoes bought for a whopping Rs 15 lakh with one of those great Italian suits that would either make his shoulders look droopy or be too tight to button up The good old darzi referred to by many as masterji would then be his only hope of that classic Italian jacket to fit him The irony of it all was almost killing And all just because he did not have six pack abs and had piled on the pounds It was bad enough that his wife and the doctor were after his life But the fact that a suit maker could refuse to measure him just because of his waistline made his fortune seem worthless But even as we write this our manrsquos fortunes could be changing He and thousands of other Indians who have the money but not the physique of an athlete can now rejoice The Italians are reinforcing their presence in India this time with a measuring tape firmly ensconced in their pockets In fact iconic Italian houses are now offering MTM clothing makes alterations on a piece of clothing that is closest to the clientrsquos actual size The big Indian story Indeed a host of leading Italian brands such as Gucci Zegna Corneliani and others have already launched their MTM service in India Others including Armani are yet to launch MTM have at least brought in plussized but have introduced readytowear suits jackets and trousers for Indian customers Of course MTM or even bespoke tailoring is not an entirely new concept in India ldquoI remember going to Linnet Tailors in Byculla to make a custommade suit even shirts Though bespoke as a concept came to be known much later in India we knew the importance of things that are made according to fixed specificationsrdquo says Naresh Kumar Mumbaibased retired businessman But as the Indian male travelled the world and grew in stature the Moneyed Indian Male MIM felt the need to sport nothing but the best And while he easily bought the most exclusive and expensive of shoes watches cuff links and ties the trouser and the jacket eluded him Explains Salesh Grover Business Head Corneliani India ldquoThe Indian consumer has become more fashionably aware of the latest trends and is very clear on what he wantsrdquo Thus in the midst of online fashion portals that are mushrooming all over the Internet Italian brands like Corneliani Ermenegildo Zegna Gucci and Canali are among some that cater to a niche market that has the taste and the purchasing power to get what the lsquorichrsquo and the lsquofamousrsquo desire ldquoI always had an idea of a perfectly cut impeccable suit which took me to one of these Italian boutiques On reaching I was curtly told that my size was available and that I have to makedo with the available sizerdquo recalls an unsatisfied customer whose body size doesnrsquot match the Italian sizing patterns He further adds ldquoI even asked them if they could alter the suit for me if I was willing to pay more but I was bluntly refusedrdquo He is not alone Italian houses had a policy of only keeping clothes that were true to their measurement bracket Grover confirms ldquoInitially it was quite difficult as most sizes that suit the Indian bodytype werenrsquot available One of the reasons can be because these brands were fairly new in India There were many wellknown customers some of whom were industrialists businessmen jewellers who came to us for a MTM clothing but nothing could be done about it during that timerdquo Whatrsquos available However with the changing market patterns and given the increasing buying power of such indian families the Italians had to alter course and come up with a concept of Madeto Measure MTM that solved the unending requests of the wealthy customers Ermenegildo Zegna a premium Italian brand known for itrsquos classic detailing introduced the MTM concept recently Today for suits jackets and coats one can choose from more than 450 different exclusive fabrics patterns and colours produced by Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna The Public Relations officer of Zegna elaborates ldquoIn just 4 weeks a lsquoSu Misurarsquo suit is ready to be delivered in any one of the Zegna boutiques around the world where the garment undergoes a inspection and the final alterations are performed including the hemming of pants and sleeves The MTM services are available at five stores Emporio in Delhi The Oberoi Taj Mahal Palace and Palladium in Mumbai and Taj Krishna in Hyderabad It also has inhouse dedicated MTM specialists at each store to ensure the perfect fitrdquo Fashion at a price Some other brands such as Gucci and Canali too offer this service While the former takes about four to six weeks to deliver the latter takes around three months to deliver the final product While it is good to know such premium brands are changing their ageold policies to suit the thriving Indian market the prices of these MTM suits start from 15 lakhs onwards But the MTM suit costs 35000 to 45000 more than a readytowear one Grover admits ldquoOne has to pay an extra sum of Rs 35000 have a MTM suit preparedrdquo Obviously the fashion conscious moneyed clientele doesnrsquot mind paying extra if it means he could finally afford to wear his favourite brand Says an entrepreneur who doesnrsquot want to be named ldquoI love the MTM concept It is such a relief to see your favourite suit shirt or even pants perfectly hug your body without the slouching shoulder pads or your pant length running over your shoesrdquo Made to Measure Vs Bespoke tailoring Often people get confused on Madetomeasure and bespoke couture While bespoke will always have an edge over MTM considering the varied options that you can choose from MTM is a fine mix between readytowear RTW and bespoke Here are some points that differentiate between bespoke and MTM Patterns MTM has a fixed pattern The person will take the size of your suit and make the alterations on the suit of your sizeBespoke involves making patterns from an entirely new cloth according to your specification on pocket size buttons slope of the shoulder etc Choice There are limited choices in MTM However some design brands offer attention to detail like the length of the lapel and the arch of the back There are umpteen number of choices according to the wearerrsquos request They are never predesigned as per MTM Tailor In MTM the client gives his specifications to the store manager and heshe carries the information to the tailoru00a0The tailor is a very important part from cutting of the garment to its construction in bespoke tailoringu00a0