Now Winter wear is a trendy affair in Kashmir

Fashion is an aggregation of many items which when combined makes a complete man. For men, designer clothing accentuates their personality boosts their self-confidence and morale much like their female counterparts. The list of men fashion catalog is extensive and encompasses apparels footwear and accessories. When men go for shopping, they usually hunt for things that are stylish, durable and comfortable.The Kashmiri male once indifferent to the latest trends in fashion and apparel, especially in winters is fast turning fashion savvy thanks to the media exposure and choice in designer wear in the market. “There has been a sea change in male fashion, particularly winter fashion,” Muhammad Yasin Dar, who designs clothes for males in Valley told GK Plus adding contemporary garments are more lightweight and compact without sacrificing warmth and can be worn in a greater range of conditions.According to Yasin, men of all ages and appearance demand trendy, colorful and designer clothes, whatsoever the price tag may be. The males now, according to the fashion designer seldom care that if the material provides much-needed warmth to body from chilly winds as they want to look better than others.“Contrary to the male folk of early 90s whose attire comprises of bulging clothes including tight-fit jeans, V-neck and loose sweaters and long jackets in dull colours like grey, faun, navy blue and black, the men today demand colorful and stylish clothing,” Yasin said. Yasin added the males now ask for bright colours and many of them choose from red, maroon, green, orange and pink shades, the colours most loved by females. The choice of fabric and the design of product also matter to the fashion conscious males of Valley. According to the fashion designer, different designer wear pullovers have replaced the ordinary readymade sweaters and the ones knitted at home.“The customers prefer turtle neck commonly known as (T-Neck), round neck, high neck, zipper (full and half) leather parch sweaters as compared to the traditional V-neck sweaters. All the designer wear sweaters are readily available in the market and one has a widest range of designs to choose from,” Yasin adds. The availability of fluorescent colour sweaters has also given a lot of choice to the males in this category, he further said. The jackets worn by males have also undergone tremendous change with the males favouring short and compact jackets having light stuff. “In 90s there wasn’t much of choice available in the jackets category. But things started changing in late 90s with many designer companies coming up with short durable jackets,” Yasin further said adding the latest trend in jackets available in cottry, artificial leather, artificial printed jackets, court type jackets have replaced the leather jackets and over-coats and the traditional Pheran. The jackets, according to the fashion designer is now not used to shield from snow and cold, but is put on to adorn ones personality. Likewise, the style of pants has also changed. The tight-fit jeans have been replaced by comfortable variety of jeans. “The denim tapered bottom, bell jeans, boot-cut and hip-hop lose fit jeans is in vogue these days,” he said adding the cottry and cargos (many pocket jeans) is preferred by youths. Men also give due consideration to their shoes. Leather shoes are in vogue. But winter comes with a style as it brings along fashionable winter boots readily available in market. The fashion conscious males have also become brand conscious and are looking for branded merchandise. The Valley has witnessed opening of shops dealing only with branded clothes and shoes. “We have had tremendous response from the public especially from males after we introduced Allen Solly brand in the market,” Irshad Ahmad told GK Plus adding that there has been vast change in the male fashion and the way he sees the apparel. The customers, according to Irshad demand quality and durability, which is provided by branded products. The customers, according to him aren’t concerned about the product price and usually ask for exclusive clothing.Irshad also corroborated Yasin’s view saying that the male customers now choose fast colours and designer wear irrespective of warmth. “They just want to be good looking,” he added.