The Indian man likes it handmade and handcrafted

Having tracked it over the last six years, I find that their clothes are far more inventive and new-fangled now. Their 2018 autumn-winter collection, The Arcane is an ode to east-meets-west silhouettes. Asymmetrical kurtas and sherwanis (the silhouette of the season), long jackets with overlaps, shirt kurtas and suits in shades of off-white, light green, purple, burgundy, cobalt blue, emerald green, charcoal and black are part of the collection.

The attempt has been to break from the rigid compartmentalisation that men’s clothing has fallen into: a suit or dress shirt, and trousers for regular workdays, polo T-shirts and khakis for weekends, and traditional garments for festivals, with rules about colours, patterns and cuts. SS Homme’s colour palette goes from a deep maroon, purple and royal blue, to the powdery sea blue and pink, and the more traditional blacks, beiges and greys. Thankfully, there is almost no brown, which doesn’t suit the Indian skin type, as every menswear designer will tell you.

I caught up with the couple recently at their new 3,500 sq ft road-fronted studio in Bandra, Mumbai’s fashionable style mile. Designed to explain the hand-crafted process and the anatomy of a suit to their patrons through wall installations of the accessories and accoutrements used, it also features a Groom’s Lounge in obeisance to how big the wedding market has become for menswear.

Sandeep rewinds back to the time when they set up the label, “The bespoke services offered in India barely matched the standards of Savile Row in London. So, Sarah and I decided to create our own bespoke label, which could cater to the diverse body types of Indian men.”

SS Homme’s bespoke process, from being measured up to actually delivering the garment, is almost a month long. “Right from the fabric selection to the final garment, the customer is a part of each step and experiences each element,” says Sarah. “A client generally goes through three to four sessions for a purely bespoke suit.” The fabric selection is of utmost importance, and the designer label uses natural English and Italian fabrics — such as worsted wool, raw silk, Egyptian cotton for the shirts and linen, from storied brands such as Dormeuil, Scabal, Holland & Sherry, Loro Piana and Vitale Barberis.

The designer duo, at times, have also innovated with fabrics. “We have experimented with waterproof fabrics for overcoats and trench coats. We have used various types of traditional silks in forward-looking garments. Block printing on fabrics has been one of our statement innovations.”

Every suit, sherwani or bandhgala starts its journey as an idea. The client selects the fabric, after which he is measured up by the team. Then customised patterns, drafted from scratch, are carefully cut and painstakingly hand-stitched to construct the rudimentary silhouette of the garment. “It is at the ‘Baste fit’ that the customer can discern how his suit will feel and fall. By the second fitting, our craftsmen sew the fabric into perfect contours, giving it shape and ascribing it a structured identity. At the last trial, the suit in its immaculate form is paired with accessories to complete a perfect ensemble,” says Sandeep.

The pattern making is one of the most crucial steps in this journey and their master pattern makers and tailors have been with them pretty much since the time of inception. “They have grown with us and they are open to experimentation,” adds Sarah.

India has pretty much lost the bespoke culture as far as menswear is concerned. “Keeping to international standards and recreating it in our country has been an experience,” says Sandeep. “A major challenge was to set up a space with a high standard of luxury. Also, while the market has potential, there is a lack of talent.”

Often, clients are not well-versed in the intricacy of the process. “Also, since a formal suit is considered as workwear or occasion wear, many clients wait for years before they can redo their wardrobe instead of making a suit as and when they shift body sizes.”

Indian high-fashion is moving towards personalization, even in the menswear segment. Custom-made shoes and accessories such as buttons, scarves and cravats play as important a role as the suit. The studio retails some choice accessories that go perfectly with the garment you choose to get tailored. Sandeep lists out the must-haves in a gentleman’s wardrobe: “a well-tailored jacket, formal trousers, crisp shirts, solid waistcoats, classic overcoat, solid pocket squares, black lace-ups, leather briefcase and a signature tie.”

While the couple do not give out any details about their clients, the list includes several business families and stars, from Ranveer Singh to the Ruias and the third generation of the Ambanis.

This is the label you go to if you are looking for a tuxedo-sherwani for your wedding or a red-carpet event.

Deepali Nandwani is a journalist who keeps a close watch on the world of luxury.