Made-to-measure style for men who care about fashion
Launched in 2015, Vikram Bajaj’s eponymous menswear clothing label specialises in made-to-measure garments. “With keen attention to details, the label is engineered towards a perfectly fitted appearance with handsomely tailored cuts and customised fits while incorporating contemporary styles. Our entire range showcases a remarkably unique ensemble of sleek and structured occasion wear in immaculate designs that are curated keeping in mind the comfort and quality.” said Vikram Bajaj, designer and the brand’s founder.
Hailing from a family rooted in fashion, Bajaj grew up learning about the aesthetics of textile and style in all their forms. After pursuing a degree in fashion design from the Pearl Academy, he worked with the famous designer Ravi Bajaj as the Head Designer for the next five years. As a natural extension to this, he subsequently diversified the brand under his own label. Sport couture is the inspiration behind his label, and Vikram also takes forward the ideologies of Ravi Bajaj for a classic yet edgy and sporty look.
On the inspiration behind his signature style, Bajaj said “Born in a ‘fashion family’, I have grown up seeing the classics of menswear, its evolution since the start in India. I have always loved sports and always have been intrigued by sportswear and street-wear. The Idea is to keep it bespoke still, with the graphic-sport sensibilities punched in the mix. Hence, sport couture.”
We have an industry that primarily caters to womencentric fashion trends. The designer also spoke about the challenges a menswear clothing label in India faces. “Building confidence in men to tweak their wardrobes, making it a little more fashionable is itself a struggle for a men designer. Also, toning it down for some, since everyone has a different personality to build on. This has been a major challenge for me.” He adds, “It’s especially difficult to make men move away from their to-go designer/tailor,” he said
Bajaj believes that an ideal well-dressed man is one who knows what he is wearing, when to wear it, and how it fits. “Most importantly, a person who is comfortable and confident in what he wears.” he added. He feels as a designer, one should experience and try all genres and do what one loves. While it is always good to be inspired by others, a designer, Bajaj said, also needs to bring out the best in themselves.
When it comes to menswear, leather outfits are always in vogue. Being the most preferred casual look, leather outfits mean some extra work for the design- ers. Bajaj said “It is easy to experiment with silhouettes in clothing fabrics, whereas it’s difficult to do the same with leather, as it’s a stiff fabric. Leather is mostly used in jackets, other than trims. Specially the way leather falls, and its weight is different from other fabrics.”
For designers willing to experiment with fabrics, technology plays a key role. “Technology is important, as everyone is updated with the latest collections by their favourite brands. Today, consumers are pretty fashion-forward as social media plays a vital role in enhancing their horizon in the sphere of fashion. Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s creative director, has experimented with partially 3D-printed pieces and runway shows that simulate a rocket launch, showing his passion for tech. In recent past others like Burberry and Ralf Lauren have exhibited holographic runways shows.”
The recent collection of Bajaj is titled Katan, a Japanese-inspired line. During an interaction with Guardian 20, he spoke about this collection. “As one may notice it is inspired from Japanese samurai, street-wear, art and culture. It is all about the cuts, colours and the print graphics and embroideries. We have some blackened jewel shades along with some highlight colours like citrine. Aiming to create a sporty edge to what is essentially a story ideal for the smart looks of party-wear,” he said.
The collection is categorised in two phases. “The upcoming collection is a phase two of Katana... The colour palette for the line ranges from shades of grey and blue to citrine green and red, keeping in mind the sensibilities of the new age man who is both young and attentive,” he added.
The designer always works on chic classics with an Indian touch that goes well for the wedding season as well, and he said that he is always open for experimenting in different dimensions.
Talking about the long -term goals for his brand, Bajaj said “The main aim is to make the consumer understand our product better, along with making them recognise the significance of the cut, fabric and design in men’s fashion. Since in menswear there is a very thin line which is being pushed slowly worldwide. So we will go with the flow, for being successful commercially too.”