Mumbai store helps beat queer shopping stigma
Unhappy with the fit of skinny jeans available for men, 29-year-old visual merchandiser Inder Vhatwar and his friends would often shop in the ladies section, trying hard to ignore the stares and giggles. “We were once at a shopping mall in Bandra and a friend went to the trial room to try on a pair of women’s jeans. Almost all of the sales staff on the floor was standing outside to see him walk out,” recalls Vhatwar.
After the Delhi high court ruling legalised homosexuality in July 2009, the sudden explosion of visible queer expression, right from film festivals to gay parades to the rise to prominence of gay rights activists seemingly bade well for the queer community in the city, which was soon given the moniker of being India’s gay capital. In the same year, the launch of Queer Ink, India’s first online queer bookstore (despite its strictly virtual presence) and Azaad Bazaar, India’s first LGBT pride store in Bandra heralded a new beginning.
However, gay pride was one thing; fulfilling the more mundane needs of the LGBT community in the city was another. Even today, commercial activity targeting the day-to-day purchasing needs of the gay community has failed to pick up.
On December 25, Vhatwar launched D’kloset, the city’s first queer multi-designer store. “You might be able to find a good fit of jeans at one store but you’ll have to go to another to find that perfect t-shirt,” says Vhatwar, who wants his store to be a one-stop-shop for all the clothing needs of gay men in the city. Besides V-neck t-shirts and denims in all sizes, the store also features a colourful collection of jackets, waistcoats, ties, suspenders, mufflers, shoes and accessories like bags, earrings and neckpieces.
And then, there are the special items. Pulling out an incomprehensibly long, single piece of lycra, Vhatwar explains that he’s holding a mankini, a male version of the sling bikini. “Short shorts, thongs with floral prints and sexy swimwear for men are non-existent even in hip Bandra stores,” explains Vhatwar.
With affordable prices on surplus stock of designer brands, most of which have been handpicked by Vhatwar from Bangkok, the store is already doing brisk business.
“Our highest sale was Rs25,000 in a single visit and the customer was a straight man,” smiles Vhatwar, but admits that labelling D’kloset as a queer store will likely affect footfall. However, Vhatwar says his primary intention is make customers feel comfortable. He says, “I’ve had gay customers in their 40s who tell me that they would have never tried out these clothes in a regular store for fear of ridicule.”
The gay community has responded positively to the store, with customers coming from South Bombay to as far as Vashi. D’kloset, which also features an outdoor seating area and will soon be serving coffee, shall also host events in the run-up to the Queer Azaadi March on January 29.
D’kloset is located opposite Hawaiian Shack, 16th Road, Bandra (W)
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