3. Categories of shirts and trends in fabrics and structures
The shirt industry is offering high quality fabrics in
diverse designs and blends as per latest fashion trends. Fabric determines the
comfort and care of shirt. Fabric that is smooth in texture, absorbent, and can
be laundered easily will contribute to comfort during wear. There is direct
relationship between fabric cost and count, fineness of yarn and fabric design.
Cotton is king! It rules in fabrics. Manufacturers are providing a mix of
products for shirts in blends of polyester, cotton, tencel, viscose etc and in
variety of weaves Le plain, twill, satin and other dobbies. Also are available
tecno-natural ranges that cover all blended fabrics which are blends of cotton
with manmade fibers. [3]
Consumers in India are yet to get an experience of wearing
shirts made from high performance fibers. Consumers are becoming fashion
conscious and expect desirable, fashionable styles in shirts. Emerging trends
indicate that consumers ask for quality and high performance fabrics and
innovative design features. New apparel lines are being launched with such
fabrics as Revival, Holofiber, Spectra Lite and Spectrum. Each of these fabrics
is offering consumers quality and high performance. The hot item in the shirt
industry are in a new bright colour palette and unique designs, where consumers
are offered highest performance and breath ability along with a stylish
presence through each fabric-type. A super comfortable range of wovens and
knits in various blends are in trend. In vogue for extra comfort and stretch
into men's shirt, is a luxuriously soft cotton jersey, with a touch of spandex.
Also in trend, is a new kind of natural fabric (moda woven) which combines the
benefits of natural fiber and the fantastically soft feel of modern microforms.
It is made from beechwood chips. The fabric remains soft and lustrous after
several washes and has hydroscopicity of cotton and the luster of silk. New
trends focus on radiant sun shirts, which provide 40+ UPF sun protections
through the dense weave and synthetic fiber. They are lightweight, quick drying
and extremely versatile.[l] Special fiber like tencel with similar properties
to cotton provides consumers feel properties which cotton cannot provide. The
breath ability of tencel fiber is also better than cotton.[4]
Shirts fall in the category of formal, casual and occasional
wear. There is further sub segmentation on the basis of pricing and buyers
profile in the metros and non-metros.
3.1 Formal shirts
Formal shirts for men are sub segmented into two categories,
namely (a) premium shirts and (b) popular shirts.
(a) Premium Formal shirts
Fiber content:
Cotton rules! For premium formal shirts, 85-90% of fabrics
used are cotton. Linen is promising fiber offering much higher level of comfort
than cotton. It is gaining popularity in fashion even beyond summers. Quality
shirts are made by 2 ply yarns of fine counts which ranges from 2 x 80s to as
fine as 2 x 140s yarns made fabrics. Most of the fabrics used in premium formal
shirts are made in India. There is varied percentage of usage of imported versus
Indian fabrics by different brands in these shirts. 100 percent cotton or high
percentage of cotton blended with polyester is used for by and large in premium
brands only or mid segment brands done as premium products.
Structures:
The trend is for value added cottons with structures and
dobby's in weaves. 80% of share in design fabrics is taken up by stripes with
balance mainly in checks. There is negligible share of prints in premium formal
shirts. Solid share is almost 40% and in solid, structure fabrics have a
substantial usage for this category of shirts. [3]
The trend in design that is visible in India and
internationally in 100% cotton is more towards stripes whether it is casual or
formal. The formal range in cotton also carries micro checks and structures.
(b) Popular Formal shirts
Fiber content:
Innovative
fabrics are being used by brands to create product differentiation and also to
add value addition to their product. Because of comfort factor, 100% cotton is
usually favored in these shirts. Blends that are in trends for ready made
shirts are poly viscose and poly cotton. Last 2-3 years has seen emerging trend
in use of poly cotton against poly viscose which was the only blend available
in synthetics. There is rise in use of polyester/cotton blends and CVC and
silks, mock linen, linen look in polyester cotton fabrics, instead of linen or
linen blends by various brands of formal popular shirts. For work shirts
fabrics used are poplin,
