Sales of panjabis rise in city

Sales of panjabi in different supermarkets and shops in the capital have marked a significant rise ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims.
Demand for the main outfit for this festival will also rise further in the concluding days of Ramadan month, traders have said.
According to them, buyers are mostly choosing semi-long cotton panjabis as summer temperatures are rising day by day.
Initially, people, mostly male adults, used to put on panjabi occasionally. Now, many people, including minors and women, wear panjabi quite frequently.
During several visits to different shopping malls in the city most of the fashion outlets were seen offering panjabis in hundreds of colours, shades, designs and shapes.
People are buying panjabis from big shopping malls, including Bashundhara City, Aziz Super Market, supermarkets of Elephant Road and New Market.
They are also buying Panjabis of different designs from others fashion outlets, brand shops, non-brand shops and roadside shops.
Makeshift shops and peddlers are also selling panjabis to cater to the increasing demand of the dress ahead of Eid.
Sales of panjabi started to increase significantly last week, although the traders stockpiled the item and put it on display at their showrooms and shops before the Ramadan began.
Monir Hossen, in-charge of an outlet of fashion house 'Lubnan' at Bashundhara City, informed this while talking to this correspondent.
"We are making good business since the beginning of Ramadan, he said.
However, the sales have picked up remarkably from the last week," he said while handling customers at his outlet.
As male of all ages wear panjabi during Eid, the designs of the clothe also vary in theme, colour, fabric, texture, model and cutting, Monir mentioned.
"Among the young generations, demand for semi-long panjabi is higher than that of short or long ones," he noted.
Buyers mostly opt for panjabis made of cotton and silk fabrics this year considering prevailing hot and humid weather, he said.
When asked about price of the outfit, he said traditional panjabis are sold between Tk 2,250 to Tk 3,800 per piece.
Slim fit panjabis, which are mostly popular among youths, are priced between Tk 1,850 to Tk 2,350, he said, adding that party panjabis are priced much higher.
"Punajabis for parties and special occasions like Eid are costlier," he said.
The price of such gorgeous outfit vary between Tk 4,500 to Tk 12,500 based on fabric, design and other materials used for making the dress, he said.
The fashion houses designers use fabrics like katan, silk, cotton silk and Kashmiri cotton for tailoring the attractive panjabis, he informed.
A customer roaming in the same shopping mall, Yeasmin Jahan, said she bought three panjabis for her husband, son and brother.
"I think panjabis are the best Eid gift for near and dear ones, that's why I bought the item for my relatives" she said.
Asked about the cost, she replied price seems slightly higher than that of last year's Eid occasion.
However, an official of Bangladeshi traditional fashion brand Aarong's Bashundhara city outlet claimed that price of panjabis remained almost unchanged this year.
"We had to adjust price of some premium collection," he said, adding, the prices of most of the categories remained similar to that of last year.
Like previous year, slim fit cotton panjabis are available between Tk 1,000 to Tk 2,800, he said.
"You can buy the silk panjabi for TK 2,200 to Tk 8,000" said the official.
This year the fashion house brought panjabis in several themes including 'Victorian ornate', 'Moroccan' and 'Geometric' motif, he informed.
Besides, 'Ikkat' design and 'metal sign' have also been reflected in designing punjabai and some other items tailored by Aarong, he added.

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