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Menswear market gold for RI's apparel business
The countryâs menswear market, which previously took a backseat to that of womenâs wear, has been experiencing robust growth over the last few years, with businesses from designers to publicly listed and small-scale fashion retailers laying out big plans as they aim to gain from the countryâs growing menswear market
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he country's menswear market, which previously took a backseat to that of women's wear, has been experiencing robust growth over the last few years, with businesses from designers to publicly listed and small-scale fashion retailers laying out big plans as they aim to gain from the country's growing menswear market.
'Over the last three years, many more Indonesian males have been opting for casual apparel, such as t-shirts, polo shirts and batik, making the country's menswear market more dynamic,' said Indonesian Textile Association (API) chairman Ade Sudrajat.
Indonesia's overall clothing consumption surged to 7 kilograms per capita at present from only 4.5 kg per capita in 2009, according to Ade.
Indonesia's menswear market grew by 10 percent while the women's wear market grew 14 percent last year, according to a report by research firm Euromonitor.
Renowned designer Toton Januar said the country's menswear market would likely see significant growth, in line with the global trend.
In the global arena, menswear market growth is already outpacing that of women's wear, a report by MarketLine has stated.
The global women's wear market will have an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of only 3.9 percent, giving it a total value of US$773.1 billion in 2018, while the global menswear market is forecast to grow by 6.2 percent to $517.8 billion by 2018, the report shows.
'We have seen that fashion-oriented and trend-driven men's fashion has started mushrooming in the country's urban areas over the last two years. I believe that the trend will be even bigger in two or three years,' Toton told The Jakarta Post.
A rising middle class and the growing number of affluent male urban consumers provides a huge untapped menswear market not only for designers but for local fashion companies, according to Toton, who specializes in women's fashion.
Publicly listed fashion retailer Trisula International (TRIS) ' which holds licenses to market global clothing brands Jobb, Jack Nicklaus, UniAsia, ManClub, G2000 and Bonds ' targets to pocket no less than Rp 120 billion ($10.1 million) from its retail menswear business and expects only around Rp 13 billion from its women's wear retail business.
The company, which mainly sells apparel for men, has seen between 30 and 40 percent average growth in the last three years.
'The menswear market has been growing with increasing demand for more various designs and colors,' Trisula corporate secretary Marcus Brotoatmojo said. TRIS, which was established in 1968, also manufactures apparel for the domestic and overseas market.
Jobb ' consisting of predominantly men's formal apparel ' made up 34.7 percent of TRIS' total revenue, followed by Jack Nicklaus 'comprising mainly men's polo shirts ' with 31.1 percent, Marcus said.
TRIS expects to see a 20 percent increase in its total business revenue to Rp 804.8 billion this year from Rp 670.67 billion last year.
Medium-scale local footwear retailer, Brodo, which began selling men's leather footwear in 2010, expects to see its revenue increase by twofold or threefold this year and aims to expand its sales network to achieve the target.
'We are targeting to triple our sales record to 60,000 pairs of shoes this year from 20,000 pairs last year,' said Brodo founder Muhammad Yukka Harlanda.
Yukka was upbeat that demand for men's footwear would continue to surge as the country's economic growth remained robust, providing urban males with increased disposable income to buy premium apparel.
To cater to growing demand across the country, Brodo expected to build a physical presence outside of Jakarta and Bandung (West Java), he added. 'We are currently reviewing the possibility of opening an outlet in Medan, Sumatra Utara,' he said.
Taking a much bigger leap, publicly listed garment manufacturer PT Pan Brothers (PRBX) plans to build seven more factories with a total investment of $65 million.
PRBX vice president director Anne Patricia Sutanto said that the new factories would bring her firm's production capacity to 92 million polo shirts per year from the current 42 million.
'Menswear has started following style trends in recent years, ['¦] mainly driven by global trend-setting celebrities, such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Cruise,' she said.
Anne was upbeat that her firm's menswear business particularly sport and active wear ' would continue to grow as demand surged in the domestic and global market.
PRBX, which supplies products for various global brands such as Reebok, Esprit, Adidas and Calvin Klein, previously stated that it was targeting a 30 percent revenue increase this year to around $441.6 million from $339.7 million last year.
