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Panjabi catches imagination

Sohel Parvez
Menswear showrooms have stocked up on a wide range of colour, design and fabric choices for panjabis in the last couple of months. The mannequins display the latest in style for Eid this year.
Country Boy is a store that opened in March in Rankin Street of Wari. The store now receives an increased turnout of shoppers, mainly the youth.
"Nowadays, the youth loves to wear panjabi to celebrate occasions. As we have a wide range of collections and designs, we have kept
panjabis on the display to attract young shoppers ahead of Eid," said Omar Faruq, manager of Country Boy showroom in Wari.
The Country Boy showroom is not alone. Other menswear brands such as Cats Eye, Artisti, Richman and Lubnan have joined the foray in showcasing their designs ahead of the Eid festivities. The local fashion boutique houses have popu-larised the once less-adorned panjabi among the youth and middle-aged population.
Two to three decades ago, the elderly citizens were the main users of panjabis. Il has been accepted as a fashion year in the later years, said Mohammad Abdur Rouf, general manager of retail of Aarong, a pioneer in popularising the panjabi among urbanities.
"The market for panjabis is growing by 20 percent," said the official of the country's biggest fashion boutique that uses fabrics made by local weavers.
No estimates for the annual market size of panjabiscould be found.
But operators said
demand for panjabis has grown manifold in the past two decades, spurred by rising fashion consciousness among the middle and upper income segments.
The emergence of hundreds of small and medium fashion boutiques has added a different dimension to the colours and designs of panjabis and made it popular among men of all ages.
Eid is the main season for panjabi sales. However, the traditional wear has gained popularity among men of all ages on other social and cultural occasions including Pahela Boishakh, 21st February (Mother Language Day) and December 16 (Victory Day).
Eid accounts for at least half of the annual sales of panjabis, said Abdul Hai, president of shop owners association in Sharif Markel, the main wholesale hub for panjabis.
Hai said he makes over 2 lakh pieces of panjabis a year now through contract manufacturing. Before 1988, his production hovered around 8000-10,000 pieces, he added.
"The panjabi is now a trendy item," said Hai. The number of wholesale stores and markets has increased overtime along with rising d e ma nd, h e ad ded.
Khalid Mahmood Khan, entrepreneur of fashion boutique Kay Kraft, has linked the growing demand for panjabis to changes in designs and patterns.
"Short panjabis in colourful designs and patterns have helped attract a growing number of youths to the panjabi," he said. "Il has broken the old conce )t that panjabis are for the elc erly."
"The market for panjabis has grown mainly because of the endeavours of local fashion houses. This is a segment that has expanded
on its own, offsetting the influence of foreign clothes on the fashion conscious people."
"Demand for short panjabis is higher among buyers outside Dhaka this year," said Humayun Kabir Bhutto, manager of LB Garments at Sharif Market.
Nearly 1 crore pieces of panjabis are sold from the market a year, he said. "We mainly sell ahead of Eid," he said adding dial die wholesaler recorded a rise insales thisyear
Khan of Kay Kraft said sales of panjabis and other clothes is satisfactory so far.
Rouf of Aarong also said sales are higher ahead of the coming Eid festivities.
"People have started shopping for Eid in advance," said the official of Aarong that aims to sell 3 lakh pieces of panjabis thisyear.
Half the targeted yearly sales of panjabis may come from the current Eid festival,