Casuals are the new formal: Night wear flies off shelves

BENGALURU: The pandemic, subsequent lockdowns and the fear of stepping out of home for shopping had dealt a devastating blow to the garment business across the city. But, with the Work From Home concept becoming the new normal, the sale of bermudas and nighties have shot through the roof.  Prakash Piragal, president of the Bangalore Wholesale Cotton Merchants’ Association said there is an unprecedented demand for home-use casual wear with most people working from home.

“There are 3,000 wholesalers spread across the traditional garment hubs like Chickpet, Mamoolpet and Sudham Nagar on Lalbagh Road. They have reported only 40% of business compared to earlier. Many cloth merchants reiterate that only loose pants, bermudas and nighties are in great demand,” he said.  Piragal imports his wares from Pali and Bhiwandi in Rajasthan, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thalvaipuram in Madurai. With most people not heading to offices or taking part in functions, the sale of office wear or grand., party clothes has come to a standstill, he said.  

Sajjanraj Mehta, owner of Poonam Fashions, a garment wholesaler in Mamoolpet, conceded that this was indeed the trend. “With no religious or festival functions being held, it is only cotton home wear that are in demand. My overall sales have gone down by 50% compared to last year. But, in that, the major chunk is that of track pants, nighties, bermudas and other items. They are, in fact, driving the sales this time. It was extremely high in April and May due to the hot weather,” he said. He has now placed orders for more such products from Ludhiana, Tiruppur, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The trend is not limited to the city, but prevails across the country, he added.