What comes to your mind when you think of Sarojini Nagar? Of course, trendy women’s dresses. But wait, what’s a little surprising is that this summer, street markets are flooded with men’s crochet shirts. And guess what! Shopkeepers tell us why these shirts are selling like hotcakes. So, what are you thinking? Be brave and go shopping…
The office needs your girlfriend
“Most of my office colleagues dress really conservatively, but I believe in jazzing up the tech world, so I bought a white crocheted shirt to beat the heat,” says Gautam Singh, a software engineer based in Noida, who was spotted shopping for office wear.
Shoppers from far away also flock to the market for the cool designs on men’s summer shirts available here. Neil Chatterjee, a college student from Mumbai, says, “The shirts here are so trendy and cool that I ended up buying more than my girlfriend. The fabric is also very breathable, so I feel like buying all the clothes I bought at Sarojini again.”
“We’re selling between 100 and 150 shirts.”
Kaif Ali, a shopkeeper at the market, said, “The crocheted shirts are ₹250 and ₹“1,200 pieces. The quality of the shirts is the same for most of the designs, but they are all the rage and there is only so much to wear, so they are selling out. Men buy whatever they can get their hands on and don’t even ask about colour options, which is very un-Delhi-like. But the demand is high and we sell around 150 summer shirts every day.”
The girls brought their boyfriends, brothers, friends…shop, shop, shop!
“Usually, we have a lot of young women coming in to buy floral dresses at this time of year, so we have restocked our stock accordingly,” says Arun Kumar, owner of Shop Number 92. “But this year, we are seeing girls bringing their boyfriends, brothers and friends to buy shirts for the summer. Some are even buying for their fathers. They are sure to love our crocheted wali shirts and co-ord sets!”
My whole class is wearing crocheted shirts: DU students
“I’m from Nepal and I used to wear fitted t-shirts with shorts or jeans. But when I came to Delhi, I realised how seriously men’s fashion is taken here,” says Milan, a first-year student at Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi. “Anime t-shirts were popular last season and I’m sure crocheted shirts will be the next big thing for summer! I came to Sarojini Nagar specifically because I wanted to expand my wardrobe with shirts with cross-stitching and designs… I wondered if wearing these shirts would make me look like a Delhi boy, and then I happened to notice that everyone in my class was wearing the exact same shirt. At least I feel like I fit in, haha.”
