Name the latest trend going for salwar kameez, sari and panjabi — and you are likely to find them in the boutiques in Chittagong. They are trying to attract as many Eid shoppers as possible.
To avoid the mad dash that invariably occurs closer to Eid, many have started with their Eid shopping from the first day of Ramadan.
“Considering the weather, I have kept a soft palette for my Eid collection,” said Shahtaz Munmun, owner of Munmun’s, a boutique that sells women’s clothes.
“I have noticed the trend among the fashionable young girls is for umbrella-shaped long kameez with churidar salwar, so I liberally utilised this style,” said Munmun, adding that her pieces can easily be afforded by middle-income families.
Rowshan’s, a popular boutique in Chittagong, too, is offering salwar kameezes in basic colours, but with intricate embroideries and appliqué.
“We also have embroidered saris, in cotton, muslin, sopura and andi silk,” said Rowshan Ara, owner of the boutique.
Pinon is hoping to attract a good number of customers with its weather-appropriate pieces.
“I designed salwar kameezes and saris in light fabrics like chiffon, Tangail cotton and silk for Eid,” said Mohassana Kuraishy Mita, Pinon’s owner.
The boutique Anindy, however, is bucking the trend and is going for bright colours.
“Our saris are in bright colours, with different handwork like embroidery,” said Lutfa Sunjeda, the boutique’s owner, adding that she is trying to offer as much variety as possible to her patrons.
As Eid falls during the rainy season, Mirron’s is concentrating on monsoon colours like blue, olive green, purple for its saris and salwar kameezes, in breathable fabrics like muslin and cotton.
“I got orders for dresses two months before Eid,” said Mirron’s proprietor Moazzem Hossain Miron.
Shoilpik, a men’s boutique, is hoping to attract people of all ages with its western-influenced panjabis and fotuas.
“Sales have not taken off in full flight, but we are expecting it to by next week,” said the boutique’s owner Mohammed Elias, who is hopeful of doing good business this Eid.
With so much variety on offer, the customers are wont to shop around.
“I am looking for a semi-long fashionable panjabi to wear on the Eid morning,” said Ashraful Rozen, a university student, who came to shop at Shoilpik.
I Fashion, a men’s wear boutique, opened a new showroom just before Ramadan to seize in the Eid shoppers.
Shahed Salim, owner of the house, said the response has so far been encouraging, but is hopeful of higher footprints in the coming weeks.
Children’s boutique Arion Fashion is not to be left behind in this shopping frenzy.
Amina Rahman, the boutique owner, said she is catering to the demand for western designs.
“I designed the dresses based on natural sceneries with emphasis on yellow, green, pink and purple colours,” she added.
Other well-known boutiques like Dream Fashion, Linax Boutique, Craft Castle and Meah Bibi, too, are ready to charm the Eid shoppers with their offerings.
It is not all optimism though; the boutiques are nervous too. The stagnating earnings of the middle-class and the escalating price of materials mean that there is genuine possibility of not hitting the Eid sales targets.
-With The Daily Star input
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