Tailor Your Own Shirts (Without The Actual Tailoring)

Gentlemen, the next time your wife/girlfriend hassles you about having too many shirts, point their cursor in the direction of Bombayshirts.com. The e-retail site of The Bombay Shirt Company, Bombayshirts.com, which launched earlier this week, specialises in bespoke shirts for men that are so soft that your significant other is likely to covet one for both you, and herself. Started by business school friends Akshay Narvekar and Alex (who declined to give his last name), the site capitalises on that frequently-heard refrain of men in our city that you can’t get a decent shirt at a decent price point in Mumbai. According to Narvekar, bespoke shirts tend to start at around Rs3,000 or so and cheaper ready-made options are often poorly tailored. The Bombay Shirt Company was started then with the idea of providing men with an alternative: make your own shirt—buttons, cuff and collar styles—but without the hassle. “I’d go to fabric markets, buy buttons and get it tailored,” says Narvekar who has previously worked for design studio Obataimu in Mumbai and global retail brand BCBG in Los Angeles. “A lot of people have creative streaks and want to create something unique, but don’t have the time to go get everything themselves,” he says.

The site’s biggest lure is its streamlined process and ease-of-use (with the option of not registering at all if you wish): first choose the fabric (all cotton, and in limited batches thus ensuring small production quantities of a given colour/pattern); then a nifty video shows you how to take your measurements (or you can use the default ones on the site); customise your collar, cuff, pocket, button, placket, pleat and monogram style (each branded with memorable names like The Evil Pandit and The Prince Charlie); and that’s pretty much it. Shirt prices vary between Rs1,700 to Rs1,900 and are delivered within the week, made in-house by the company’s own unit of tailors. As a launch week bonus, the Bombay Shirt Company is giving the first 25 people who write in to us at editors@mumbaiboss.com with “Bombay Shirts” in the subject line, a 15 per cent discount off their first purchase order (but only with the cash-on-delivery option).

Visit Bombayshirts.com for more information.