Mass Customisation - Past and Future of Fashion

I wonder how the first needle sew through the perfectly handwoven fabric, to craft the bespoke piece of avant garde. I wish I could feel the warmth, learn from the experiment and witness the evolution of what we today call fashion.

Source: Quatr.us

2 generations before mine, 90% of the wardrobe was customised for women and 70% for men, and readymade was a luxury trend. It was very common for women to purchase their favourite fabric and co-create their outfit with masterji. 

Swiggy delivers food at home and the 21st century startups deliver chef at home. My grandmother remembers how they used to call the tailor at home. Masterji fixed for each locality, would come with his toolkit, and tailor outfits with all details, from fabric to buttons, to zips and measurements, customised on the domestic sewing machine.

Source: The Economic Times

Somewhere in the 80s, we went from perfectly fitted blouses to standardised size charts, difficult to read for a general consumer, who would still pull out the shirt and tally shoulder to shoulder. In 1995, the Ready Made Garments (RMG) Policy was established with an aim to promote a vibrant RMG industry that would be internationally competitive by 2003. Modernisation introduced mass produced styles, cheaper and quicker. Step into your vehicle and direct the google map to the fanciest the marketplace, tap your card and the already suited style is yours. As the fast paced mass fashion has expanded, fashion has become a unique statement style for all, yet uniform.

The fast pace of fashion is diminishing the “want” to cherish new clothes and squeezing delivery time is reducing the longevity of apparel. Compromising for either a loose waist or baggy hip fit, standardised fashion fills the racks with a plethora of new styles every week, adding to 30% of unsold industry apparel which “does not fit at all”.

Source: Ai

In 2020s, Covid lit up the creative thirst of many and advertised the aspiration to go back to the roots. Beliefs such as ‘One size does not fit all”, expanding size bands, celebrating unique body shapes and slow fashion, gained more awareness, calling for change. To create a unique statement, Grandpa’s sweaters and diy fashion hacks started to trend on Pinterest feed and Instagram reels. 

Slow consumption starts at the stage of conceptualising your garment, going through the process of designing it, fitting it and actually owning the piece you have co-created or if not, a piece that is specifically made for you. Thats where slow consumption, slow fashion and “sustainable fashion” originates, of supreme quality, careful craftsmanship.

Source: Unsplash (left) & Tumblr (right)

Less but well crafted. Raymond - a brand of both old and new India, sticks to the warmth of customisation, offering bespoke tailoring, inch fitted to your waist and acing the model of modern customisation. Indian culture, after all, is no stranger to the concept. It’s almost like second nature to us; a practice that we grow up with and understand well. Private appointments with labels and design house, are not just for bridal or ethnic wear but have extended to streetwear hoodies and breakfast dresses.

Source: Kiplinger

Technology will play a big role in modern customisation, where 3D renditions, archiving, virtual trials and e-commerce will make the overall customer experience more seamless. Customisation, labeled as luxury is not yet a part of general shopping routine, but it is a paramount shift in the fashion of 21st century.

Virtual Tailored-measuring system might take another Half a century to reach common markets, until then Masterji with his “inch-tape” will be a call away.