The Bombay Shirt Company has made its second foray in South India after Bengaluru by marking its presence in Chennai. Spread across 400 sq ft, the store showcases formal and casual shirts made of fabrics ranging from Egyptian cotton, linen, denim to flannel sourced from Europe, India, Turkey, and Japan. Launched in September 2012, it started out as an online custom shirt brand for initial six months and then expanded with outlets across Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. In addition to an international store in Dubai, they will be opening one in New York in a couple of weeks.
.jpg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
The sole founder
Akshay Narvekar, the Mumbai-based founder, earlier worked with BCBG Max Azria, an apparel brand, for over four years at their Los Angeles office and subsequently returned to India to start the brand five years ago. From a cumbersome process of buying fabrics and then taking them to a tailor to getting them sewn, Akshay calls it a huge career move at a personal level. The 35-year-old says, “After discussions with friends, we figured out that there was hardly any option for custom-made shirts in India, not even online. So we decided to be omnipresent in the retail market through our online portal as well as in stores.”
Stitched to perfection
With a motive to stick to the benchmarks, the brand highlights on affordable pricing, giving customers a perfect fit and comfortable fabrics for the season. The shop updates its wardrobe every month apart from the core trends like standard stripes and checks in classic colours. “At the moment, we would prefer focussing on what we are good at and that would be our shirts. We wouldn’t be expanding to pants, jackets or trousers anytime soon,” says Akshay. Additionally, the shop offers stylists to guide you through the kind of colors and variations you could go for based on personal likings. Having collaborated with renowned names in the fashion industry like Che Kurrien of GQ, Priya Tanna of Vogue, Purab Kohli and Payal Singhal in the past, Akshay is planning for more such capsule collections in the future.
Much sought-after suits
From sourcing to designing, Akshay makes sure he’s involved throughout the process. The designs are worked on by in-house local tailors but manufactured at their factory outlet in Mumbai and shipped to other cities. The designer says, “Appealing to the needs of a common consumer, we follow trends, keep our inspirations new, and we have a classical approach with soft muted colours. As we cater to a wider audience, we wouldn’t mind expanding our palette.” It isn’t surprising that their cartoon-inspired Smurf prints launched sometime ago are much sought-after. `1,700 upwards. At Cathedral road. Details: 48615775