People buy woollen garments at Lhasa market in Patna on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Nov. 7: The festive season is over and the nip in the air is reminding one and all that it’s time to get ready for some chill.

The people of the state capital are wasting no time stacking up their wardrobes with woollens that would help them fight the drop in temperature in the coming months. And those dealing in woollen garments are not complaining. For most of them, November is the best month as it records maximum sales.

Shops at Boring Road, Khetan Market, Patna Market as well as the Lhasa Market have decked themselves up with the latest designs of woollen clothes. There are takers of both the branded and non-branded stuff.

Those who do not want to compromise on quality are headed for shops at Boring Road and Gandhi Maidan, which deal in branded items. For others, who do not want to exert too much pressure on their pockets, are opting for the old Lhasa market, where woollen garments are available at a much cheaper rate.

Sevika Readymade Garments at Alankar palace on Boring Road, which deals in branded clothes, is one of the shops that are recording maximum footfalls. Name a brand — Gadoni of Italy, Pringle of Scotland, Gold Blaze, Casablanca, Monte Carlo — you have it all.

Asked why customers are running after branded woollen clothes, pat comes the traders’ replies. Shop owner Jagdish Prasad Khemka said: “The first reason is that Patna is on its way to become a metropolitan city. The number of people visiting big cities has gone up. Therefore, they are more inclined to take up the metropolitan culture.”

He added that designer cardigans come in between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000, branded half-sweaters start at Rs 800 and goes up to Rs 3,500, branded full-sweaters could be found between Rs 1,000 and 7,000.

Anamika Agrawal, who was purchasing sweater for her 10-year-old son, said: “Sunny loves cartoons so much that he wants them on everything. Even sweaters are not spared. Therefore, I am looking for a product that will make him happy and at the same time be of good quality.”

The Lhasa market is also crowded.

Sawang, a 59-year-old Tibetan, who has been coming to the state capital for the past 35 years, was seen busy dealing with his customers in Hindi.

“I have sweaters whose prices are ranged between Rs 530 and Rs 600. Jackets for men are priced anything between Rs 330 and 510. Woollen shawls cost Rs 380 to 600. Woollen long kurtis and woollen dupattas are the new items this year and they have become very popular among college girls.”

Young men from Kashmir were also seen doing brisk business at Kashmiri mela on Gandhi Maidan. Firdous Ahmad, a seller from Anantnag, said: “I have been coming here for the past 15 years. The people of Patna love our products. Last year, I had sold garments worth Rs 50 lakh.”