Ajay Devgn’s character from the Bollywood movie Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai may have just set the trend this Ramzan season, as shopkeepers have stocked up on the Pathani suit Devgn’s character Sultan Mirza wears in the film. Store owners have been keeping themselves keyed into what customers have been leaning towards, and these include designer clothes and pattern inspired by the film industry.
“Pathani suits have been popular since Sharukh Khan wore it in the movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaaenge,” laughs Hamid Mohiuddin, from Maqdoom Bros, adding that for the last 12 - 15 years or so, people, especially the young crowd, have been choosing the pattern over and over again.
While the more simple-minded just choose a popular pattern, the more fashion conscious experiment with different cuts and styles, largely influenced by their favourite heroes.
“The double pocket, V-neck, high neck, and shoulder flap Pathanis are picking up in demand now, thanks to movies,” adds Mohiuddin, while Vivek Khurana, managing director at Khurana’s concurs, “Movies definitely play a role in the customer’s preference.”
Apart from the Pathani suit comeback, designs in embroidery, moti work, dabka work, chickankari work and Zardosi work have also been big favourites while high necks, patiala shalwars and polo pants are new on the market.
While the colour palette is dominantly sobre, sticking largely to whites, off-whites, pale ochre and blacks, colours like brown, beige, peach, mehendi green and shades of blue are catching on. Also, there seems to be a fascination for some bling as the older age group have been seen picking up embroidered and embellished kurtas. “White kurta pyjamas are evergreen, in the last few years, even the pyjamas are being designed with some work on them. People now feel that something should be ‘there’, rather than just wearing plain traditional clothes,” verifies Mohiuddin.
Even children’s clothing is getting classy with designer clothes being specially made for infants. “Sometimes parents come and ask us why we don’t have the same designs for their children,” shares Minhaj, who works at New Welcome.
So why has the Pathani suit been such a favourite for such a long time? Store owners feel that its simplicity is the reason. And their sales are testimony to that. “Traditional white Kurta Pyjamas and Pathani suits still form a considerable part of our sales,” says Abdul Karim, owner of Shahi Nizam Libas at Pathergatti.
However, he also explains that people are more liberal now, and hence designer clothes, and other varieties of traditional clothes which come in hand-worked embroidery, pintex work, patch-work kurtas, necklace works, broad collared Pathani suits and mini-Sherwanis are favourites.
The variety of colours have also increased over the past few years. “Before customers used to choose between few colours, and even we had to be careful while designing clothes, but now they are bolder, and don’t mind experimenting,” opines Khurana, who designs all the clothes in his store.
With so many demands and experimentation, it comes as no surprise that customers are not deterred by high prices. “This shift is what allows us to exploit our imagination. Earlier, we used to weave patters keeping that in mind, but now we are a little more liberal, as per the customer,” shares Khurana. Even plain white traditional desinger clothes now cost anything between `1000 - `3500. Kurta Pyjamas are priced between `395 - `5000, designer wears range between `1000 - `5000. Specially designed traditional clothes range between `5000 - `50,000.