Business Times - 28 Mar 2009
Stuffed shirt no more
Singapore men are shedding their boring, staid image for a dressier and more stylish one. By Melissa Lwee
GONE are the days when men were considered second class citizens in the world of shopping. Not when the humble office shirt - more a uniform than an expression of personal style - has of late become a veritable status symbol.
Forget the neighbourhood tailored shirt or mainstream shirt labels bought in bulk - a current influx of upscale men's shirt brands is putting a fashionable spin to the concept of men's office wear.
With the entrance of labels such as Charles Tyrwhitt, Thomas Pink and most recently T.M.Lewin, all of which have roots in Jermyn Street - the place for gentlemen to shop in London - the choice is widening for Singapore men beyond the usual luxury labels like Zegna or Hugo Boss.
According to industry players, the vibrancy of Singapore's men's shirt market today is a response to a growing demand for the product. In an industry where 'classic' items such as shirts outsell their more fashionable seasonal counterparts like an 'It' bag, it is no wonder retailers are paying more attention.
'I believe that the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 was the beginning of the rise of Singapore as the financial centre of Asia,' remarks R Dhinakaran, managing director of Jay Gee Enterprises that brought in T.M.Lewin. 'It meant a rise in the number of working executive men in Singapore, which in turn leads to a bigger demand for shirts.'
French shirt brand Alain Figaret certainly saw this potential when they opened their first Asian store in Singapore in 1996. The idea was to offer a luxury ready-to-wear product in a market that only had two options - cheap or tailored.
Its spokeswoman Nancy Goh explains: 'The shirt market in Singapore is very dynamic, mainly because it has an important potential customer base.
'With expatriates, tourists and businessmen that come and go, and local executives with very high living standards and purchasing power, we see it as one of the most important markets in Asia.'
A growing market with little quality offering was similarly what inspired FJ Benjamin to start local shirt kingpin Raoul seven years ago. 'I started Raoul in 2002 because I had gone to London, bought a few very expensive shirts and within a few months they were so tattered you would have thought I washed my shirts with knives,' recalls chief executive Douglas Benjamin. 'So I told my wife I wanted to start making men's shirts that can actually stand the test of time and all Raoul shirts can definitely do that.'
He adds that over the last five years, the local men's shirt market has not only grown by leaps and bounds in terms of size - Raoul now makes 40 times more shirts for men as compared to when they first started seven years ago - but also in terms of design awareness.
'When we started, we were very safe, only using standard designs and colours. A colour like purple, for example, was a no no!' says Mr Benjamin with a laugh.
'But after Raoul had built up a loyal customer base, people were coming to us and asking for more 'daring' colours and designs. We even produced shirts in purple and they sold out!
Nowadays, we even make shirts with variations of checks and stripes because the market demands it. Who would have thought?'
It was on the back of a dressier culture that spurred British yuppie favourite Thomas Pink to open its first outlet in Takashimaya Department Store in October 2007.
'Men in Singapore are getting dressier. They want to look good but are not sure how to,' says Louis Chua, general manager of Trinidad Ventures that brought in Thomas Pink. 'Disposable income is also increasing and with constant exposure to external cultures, fashion demands and the need to feel confident, men tend to spend a little bit more on dressing up these days. Five years ago, if a garment had sleeves, pockets and buttons it was a shirt. Now, you need to have a certain cut, Italian fabrics, modern fabric designs. Men today want to attract attention and also ensure they give the right impression.'
Stylist Daniel Boey explains that Singaporean men are no longer as conservative as they used to be. 'I think now, more than ever, men are more aware of the cut of shirts,' he says. 'No longer do men just go about buying completely shapeless shirts off the rack, they are beginning to realise that cut and fit make a huge difference.'
He attributes the proliferation of men's fashion magazines such as GQ in Singapore as the reason why men are more shirt/fashion savvy these days. Says Mr Boey: 'In the past, men's magazines were deemed flouncy , flamboyant or both.
'But now, the trend is to give non-threatening fashion advice that people who are not in the fashion industry can adopt which accounts for why men in Singapore are not just more knowledgeable about what they wear but also pay more attention to what they want to buy.'
For those who are in the market for a well-fitted shirt but have no idea where to start, Mr Boey has the following few tips: 'Always try on the shirt. Just because you are a medium with a collar size of 15.5 inches for one brand doesn't mean it's the same for another brand. Different brands cut their shirts differently. Nothing irks me more than an ill-fitted shirt.
'Also, look at how the shirt is made. Shirts that are meant to be tucked in have a certain shape while shirts that are meant to be left out are cut straight across the bottom so if you try and tuck a shirt like that in, it would look boxy. So many men out there cannot make this distinction.'
And while the economic crisis has affected the men's shirt industry, players reveal that it is the shops offering value and quality for money that are holding their heads above water.
'Take a brand like Zegna for example. It is expensive but with good reason because every single thread is dyed before it is woven so you know the colour won't run. With a cheap black shirt, before you know it, it is grey,' explains Mr Boey on what makes a good buy. 'In times like these, I would rather pay a bit more for a well-cut, good quality shirt that would last me seven years than a cheap one that would last me six months.'
Best in shirts
A round-up of where men can find the best shirts in Singapore.
Thomas Pink
#01-09 Capital Tower
Takashimaya Level 3
BEST known for its traditionally tailored shirts but with a contemporary touch, Thomas Pink is the answer to any modern man looking for something fashionable but with a touch of English class. Launched in Singapore in 2007, the majority of Pink shirts are 100 per cent cottonfold 100s - meaning two-ply with 100 thread count per square inch, assuring comfort on top of style. Shirts between $259 and $699.
T.M.Lewin
#026-107 Changi Airport Passenger Terminal 2
WITH its affordable prices and great quality, T.M. Lewin is the first stop for men looking to ramp up their wardrobe shirt count. A huge range of designs and fabrics (about 50 new designs every month) means variety is definitely an option here.
Alain Figaret
#01-40, Millenia Walk and
#03-05 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
FOR those who love a bit of French flair in their shirts, look no further than Alain Figaret. Started in 1968, Alain Figaret entered the Singapore market in 1996 with an aim to offer a luxury alternative to local consumers. With over 300 fabrics launch each season, the brand offers a wide variety of choices ranging from $195 to $280 for men's shirts.
Charles Tyrwhitt
#01-24 Vivo City
#01-34 Millenia Walk
#03-00 Isetan Scotts
YET another import from London's Jermyn Street in November 2006, Charles Tyrwhitt is best known for creating a classic English look but with an irreverent twist of humour. Interestingly, in 1986 the company was founded as a mail order shirt company but since then has grown rapidly into the largest mail order supplier of classic dress shirts in the UK.
Raoul
#02-02/03, Paragon Shopping Centre,
#01-13 Raffles City Shopping Centre,
#01-22/24 Suntec City Mall
THIS made-in-Singapore brand has in just seven short years grown into a shirt brand to be reckoned with. With presence already in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai and Bahrain, Raoul is definitely climbing the international ladder. Aiming to provide quality for money, a majority of the shirts fall in the $100 and $150 range and are designed to stand the test of time.
A good match
THOSE who grew up from the 50s to the 90s will remember Singapore's answer to well-made shirts and suits then - Melwani's Men's Shop.
Boasting an impressive range of cuts and fabrics from European suit giants such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Hugo Boss, the now defunct retail concept that was run by the Jay Gee Enterprises was known as the go-to place for custom-made shirts and suits.
Now, more than 10 years down the road, aiming to capture a growing middle-class working men's market, Jay Gee is making a comeback in the men's shirt market with one of London's most established shirt brands - T.M.Lewin.
'With the rise of the monobrand boutiques in the mid-90s, men became less interested in multi-label tailoring concepts, preferring to shop at say the standalone Boss or Zegna boutiques,' reveals Jay Gee's managing director R Dhinakaran.
'Having focused mainly on the ladies' market for monobrands, we decided a couple of years ago that it was time to pick up from where we left off with menswear and started to look for a strong men's shirt brand to bring to Singapore, and we finally found a match in T.M. Lewin.'
He adds that T.M.Lewin was chosen for two main reasons. Firstly, the brand's affordable prices made it a strong value proposition. Shirts are typically sold in well-priced bundles of three for $229 at Changi Airport, or $249 when they open an outlet in the city itself.
Secondly, despite its competitive pricing, the brand is uncompromising on quality, having honed (and kept) its stripes from its days in London's shirt mecca Jermyn Street.
A favourite among the 'City Boys' in London, the T.M.Lewin shop that opened earlier this month at Changi Airport Terminal 2 is the brand's first foray outside the United Kingdom and will stock mainly shirts plus an assortment of suits and accessories for men.
Jay Gee plans to open at least five shops in Singapore within the next year with regional expansion on the cards.
Despite the economic crisis, T.M.Lewin's managing director Geoff Quinn believes it's the right time for the brand to expand internationally. 'I know that there is a recession going on but T.M.Lewin as a brand is doing well,' assures Mr Quinn.
'Look at the UK for example. We've been in a technical recession for the last nine months at least but as of three weeks ago, we finished our financial year up 20 per cent year on year. We've done very well because we price affordably but we offer quality comparable to the boutiques in Jermyn Street.'
Singapore, he says, was chosen because it is the 'ideal gateway to Asia', making it the best place to start the brand's forays outside the UK.
And as a testament to the brand's quality-keeping measures, T.M.Lewin has created a range of shirts tailor-made to suit Asian men.
'For example, due to the differences in weather, men in Singapore wear coats less than in the UK so unlike the shirts we sell here, we will offer the option to buy shirts with pockets,' says Mr Quinn. 'Also the cuts will be slimmer with shorter tails that better fit Asian men's figures.'
More importantly, although the brand produces en masse, it retains exclusivity by producing limited runs of fabrics and introducing about 50 new designs every month to keep things fresh.
Concludes Mr Dhinakaran: 'This makes it difficult for people to buy the same shirt so even in a country as small as Singapore, it is less likely you'll run into someone wearing the same thing. I think our customers will really appreciate that.'
