In the age of fast fashion, here’s a company that is betting on customised and bespoke menswear. Bombay Shirt Company believes that the Indian customer is evolving and it is helping men choose the right fit through a personalised apparel.
Chippy Mehta, co-founder and COO, Bombay Shirt Company says that if a customer wants to buy a shirt, he needs to try ten different brands to find the right fit; the right style; full sleeve or half sleeve; with or without pocket and the right fabric. It starts getting very complicated. Men want to enjoy shopping. When they are spending ₹5,000 on a shirt or pants, they want to enjoy that. They don’t want to feel like it’s a torture. “We give that shopping experience to men. We offer personalised in-store shopping experience wherein a customer can choose the fabric for tailor-made shirts and then get it fitted from their inhouse trailers,” he told businessine.
The stylist at the stores will help customers pick the fabric that suits his needs and then help him with the right customisation such as the cuffs, the collar and more, thus giving a personalised product. “We sweeten the shopping with the monogram where the customer’s initials are monogrammed in different parts of the shirt depending on what he wants,” said Mehta.
Talking about customisation in the age of quick commerce, Mehta said that the segment offers a lot of potential and the company is watching the space keenly.
Readymade shirts
The company’s readymade shirts are priced between ₹2,000 and ₹4,000. Its custom made shirts start at around ₹3,000 and can go up to ₹5000 to ₹6,000. It also has custom-made shirts where fabrics are flown from Italy and these shirts can cost from ₹30,000 to ₹80,000 a shirt. Fabrics are sourced from Japan, Italy, from Spain, Portugal, Far East and India, Mehta said.
Every day, the company ships out 1,000 custom products. “We are growing at around 50 per cent,” Mehta said without giving any financial details.
The company’s largest way of marketing is by word of mouth. “Our repeat customer base is 70 per cent to 75 per cent. That’s the most important metric for us because that is what ultimately gets new customers,” he told businessline at the company’s 27th outlet opened in Chennai on Wednesday.
Founded in 2012, Bombay Shirt started as an online custom-made shirt brand and expanded to include ready-to-wear apparel and has 27 stores across India and on in New York, offering a blend of classic tailoring and modern designs. “We want to close the year with 40 stores,” he said.
“While we have been in the market since 2012, the growth has come only in the last two years,” he said. In February 2024, the company raised ₹54 crore in a Series B funding for expansion.
