There is no doubt that denims have been ruling the apparel market ever since we know about it. You would find it in almost every person’s wardrobe but no one would have ever thought that denims would be gradually replaced by some other item in their wardrobe. Style is slowly relinquishing its attachment to the garment, the replacement – chinos.
It is very evident from the increasing demand of chinos and cotton trousers that it is the next big thing in the fashion industry, surpassing the denims. chinos are a classy yet fashionable item being worn by all, from business men in their downtime to students partying the night away.
Today, the coloured trousers (chinos) have become a rage among Indian men. Made from various fabrics like cotton twill, cotton satin, canvas, cotton tussar, cotton slub etc, chinos has broken into the fortress and is going straight for the undisputed name in the men’s fashion – denims.
Almost all the brands have been witnessing an ever increasing demand for the chinos over denims in the last one year.With the reputed brands coming up with wide range of chinos and promoting them to a greater extent, there can be no ignoring the fate of denim. A leading brand offers 170 products under the banner of casual trousers/chinos, yet only 100 under jeans; a margin of 70 different products is by no means sheer coincidence.
One of the renowned e-commerce portals is currently offering 1409 items of men’s trousers/chinos, whereas only 1007 items of men’s Jeans. This demand gap highlights that the popularity of chinos weigh more than denims in the current scenario. One more leading competitor in the e-commerce space is also reporting a similar trend where denims are getting replaced by non-denim cotton trousers, which have grown by 120 percent in the past year. An international brand’s range of colored trousers accounted for close to 60 percent of its entire trouser collection.
But the question here is – what is the reason of this sudden increase in demand of chinos and cotton trousers over denims? Why the crowd that always held on to denims is shifting to the colored trousers? Well, I believe that this change is here to stay for a long time as people are bored of stepping into the same old blue and black jeans. Today, people look out for options and this is where chinos scores over the denims. Chinos offer variety of colours allowing people to experiment according to the occasion, mood and the need.
This is not a new trend in the western countries; India has started following it more aggressively since year or two. Earlier, the Indian crowd was skeptical about trying and flaunting the coloured trousers as the mind set was such that it isn’t meant for common public but for celebrities. Also, they weren’t comfortable wearing a bright colour trousers and roam around in public to avoid the extra attention and looks from others.
But today, Indians have come out of that mind set breaking the shackles. They are smart, confident and outgoing individuals who love experimenting with their attire, their looks and love to flash the bright coloured trousers they are wearing.
We are among the rising men’s casual apparel brand and have already witnessed an ever increasing demand for the chinos of over 30 percent over denims in 6-8 months. As I said earlier, the change is here to stay for a longer time and chinos will be ruling the Indian market over denims until the crowd is wooed by a new fashion trend.
About the author: Joseph Muthaiyan, CEO, Blumerq
