Men’s grooming in India witnessed a paradigm shift in recent years. (Source: Thinkstock Images)If philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson would have been alive, he would have changed his well-known quote from ‘Men are what their mothers made them’ to ‘Men are what their grooming makes them’. With standards of male beauty evolving throughout the 20th century, we have reached a stage where coverage of the royal wedding called out Prince Harry for breaking the rules and keeping his beard for the wedding, albeit nicely trimmed and more closely groomed than he usually does. In fact, there was a lot of speculation in the media whether he would shave his stubble or not for the big day.
But beard or no beard, it is true that the male beauty revolution is upon us. Men’s grooming in India witnessed a paradigm shift in recent years. Today, we have beard grooming products with beard oils and beard brushes, a category that was unimaginable a few years ago. According to an ASSOCHAM report, India’s male grooming industry is growing at a CAGR of 45 per cent and is estimated to touch Rs 35,000 crore by 2021.
Fuelling this remarkable growth is changing demographics and lifestyles, greater spending power, rising media exposure, greater product choice, a booming retail segment and wider availability. The growth is not restricted to the grooming industry alone. The male fashion accessories industry is also seeing a similar rising trend pushed by rising urbanisation and a younger population. Apart from cosmetics, today’s man is also looking to adorn himself with light-weight jewellery which makes a statement.
Today’s contemporary multi-dimensional males tend to follow their Bollywood stars and cricket icons. Male consumers also tend to show a preference for platinum jewellery following celebrities like actors Irrfan Khan and Ayushmann Khurana and boxer Vijender Singh.
Growing awareness and interest in Tier II and Tier III markets, and burgeoning e-commerce platforms offer huge potential to introduce new products. (Source: Getty Images)Pandering to the multi-dimensional man are other fashion accessories, the market for which is growing at 15 per cent to 18 per cent CAGR. The growth in wearable tech is another area contributing to the development of wearable tech accessories that are smart and stylish while integrating fashion and technology.
As the grooming and fashion accessories market matures, it is design which will play a critical role in understanding the rapidly changing and evolving needs of the consumer. And this requires deep insights and an understanding of the consumer.
Growing awareness and interest in Tier II and Tier III markets and burgeoning e-commerce platforms offer huge potential to introduce new products and bring the latest international fashion trends to the Indian consumer. And design will continue to play a leading role in meeting the challenge of maintaining the basic Indian ethos while keeping the fashion elements distinct, unique and timeless.
Revathi Kant is the chief design officer with Titan Company Limited.
