Why is the plus-size menswear segment in India still crying for attention?

While the men’s apparel market is booming, the fashion industry has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to plus-size menswear

Akshay Kakkar remembers the time when he had to cancel plans with friends because of the limited clothing options available to him. “I was always chubby and have had to opt for stitched pants. All my friends used to call me ‘uncle’,” recalls the 27-year-old who is now one of the country’s busiest plus-size male models. Though he thanks his stars for being an insider in the fashion industry, and getting to wear sponsored clothes, for his friends with similar body frames, the struggle is still real.

The story of Kais Sundrani, another plus-size model, is no different. “During my college days in 2011-12, I wanted to shop for clothes to wear at events and there were hardly any brands making plus-size garments. I recall buying four different colours of the same style T-shirt because there were just no options,” he says.

A distant dream 

For both, the options in terms of plus-size menswear are still very limited. The men’s apparel market, however, is booming. By 2028, the market value is estimated to be about ₹ 3.3 trillion, according to Statista. But when it comes to plus-size menswear, the data is not so promising. 

While plus-size male clothing has become a major talking point internationally, with brands like ASOS, 8on8 and Rihanna’s Savage X Fentye turning out to be true advocates for plus-size men, why is plus-size clothing for Indian men still at a nascent stage? 

Back home, Indian fashion houses like Sabyasachi, Shivan & Narresh, House of Masaba, NorBlack NorWhite, HUEMN and Gaurav Gupta have represented plus-size female models and clothing options. But for the plus-size male clothing range, size inclusivity still remains a distant dream. The few brands like aLL, John Pride and Pluss—despite being high-street labels—charge an exorbitant amount even for a basic T-shirt.   

Fewer icons in the segment  

Designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed, who has collaborated with aLL for a plus-size collection in the past, believes that the idea of fashion has traditionally been driven by womenswear. “It is only now [that] plus-sized males have received some attention," he says, adding that “as the idea of inclusive fashion percolates into the social psyche, one will see a greater focus on this area.”

Ahmed also points out that this category does not have many icons for people to follow or be inspired by and hence the outcome. However, he is hopeful that just like the womenswear market, the change will happen sooner than later. 

Meanwhile, New Delhi-based designer Siddartha Tytler, who has recently wrapped up shooting an underwear campaign with a plus-size male model, recalls the time when there were no such models ready to walk the ramp or do campaigns. “We were always shuffling to look for plus-size male models,” he says. But now, things are different and designers are putting effort, magazines are putting effort and it looks beautiful, he emphasises.

Demand and supply 

Hetal Kotak, former CEO of brands such as aLL, Lee Cooper, Ritu Kumar, Park Avenue and ColorPlus, says the market will open more and customers will have wider choices once private labels and other value-segment brands start offering products for this segment. “It seems that value-segment brands have somehow not warmed up to the men’s plus-size category.”

Moreover, these brands have noticed that more often than not, customers have not been too demanding, and have settled for whatever is available in the market. “The growth can be far more rapid once customers start to demand more. The segment will then grow,” says Kotak.

Jacqualine Ledie, a plus-size female model, is hopeful and says that just like the Indian fashion industry has opened up to models of all shapes, sizes and colours, plus-size male clothing will also see an improvement. “As we say ‘Rome was not built in a day,’ so it will slowly and steadily speed up,” she signs off.

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