To help men shop

It is one’s mother, daughter or sister who shops for the man of the house. If Indian men go to the mall, then it’s largely to eat,” says Avisha Chaudhary, echoing the voices of many whom she spoke to.

The 23-year-old Delhi girl thus came up with the idea of creating an application which encourages men to know about their body-type and subsequently select the clothes that would suit them best. Having pursued BA (Hons) in Fashion Media Communication from Pearl Academy, the enthusiastic girl has created ‘The Gentlemen’s Club App’ – which also won her the award for Most Professional Project.

Just the appearance of the logo with the contours of a man’s heavily mustached face, changing when seen with a tie, hat or tobacco pipe explains it all. “The minute one logs in, there are choices that help him to discover about his body type and physique.

Then comes the stage to choose the right colour and the specification of the apparel needed. Once all this is done, the app automatically takes the club member to the site which is offering, say a shirt in pink with slim fit. The process thus becomes fun and easy.” 

Considering the general opinion that men do not wish to indulge too much time in shopping, and the rising trend of online shopping, it is interesting to notice how Chaudhary capitalises on the power of the latter to serve the need of the former.

In the midst of all this, Chaudhary attempts to explore the notions of masculinity. “It actually started as a simple observation as to why there were hardly any online retail websites for men in India, which led to a very basic question – Is men’s fashion in India neglected? The answer I realised is a ‘Yes’,” she says wondering whether it is the lack of publicity to be blamed or the mindset of this country, “where wearing ‘pink’ is still considered a ‘taboo’ and here on the other hand you have Narendra Modi who has become the poster boy of Indian fashion.”

She feels that fashion and men in the same sentence have always raised a few eyebrows. “The concept of a gentleman has been brought forward to intersect the concept of manhood and fashion,” she says referring to her app. In her endeavour to cater to the fashion needs of men, she has created a platform “where men are not just more aware in terms of the latest fashion but also know their bodies and personalities better.”

“When a new member registers with the club, he is gifted a signature box containing a pair of cufflinks, a pen, a notebook and a miniature of Chivas,” she says pointing towards an elegant rectangular box that any man would obviously want to possess. Want to be a member?