Weather and weddings bring about windfall for winter garment sellers in Kolkata

With Kolkata’s minimum temperature hovering around 11°C and 12°C over the past few days, the demand for winter garments has skyrocketed. After two years of bad business due to the pandemic, it is a great start to the New Year for buyers and sellers alike.

According to the shop owners at New Market, one of the hubs of winter garments in the city, because of the lockdown, they were unable to sell their entire stock of 2019. Likewise, a part of the 2020 stock was unsold in 2021. “Even though in 2021 and 2022 Kolkata was moderately cold, loss of jobs and other financial conditions lead to lower sales. This year, we have been able to finally clear all the remaining stock and order new ones,” said Khali Hassan, the owner of Butterfly Garments.

It is a similar case with shop owners in Behala. “There has been an increase in sales of about 25% to 40% compared to the past couple of years. This is good news for us. Thank god for this winter!” said Gopal Prasad Gupta, owner of the 30-year-old Gopal Bastralaya, near Ajanta Cinema. Gupta also said that because of the bad business in the past two years, he didn’t order much this year and his stock is almost over.

Shop and stall owners said buying patterns have changed since the pandemic

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People are going for all types of winter clothes, like jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts and overcoats. “But more than the product, they are worried about the price. Goods between Rs 500 and Rs 800 have the most demand. People seem to be obsessed with this price range. They barely go beyond Rs 1,200 for one garment,” Gupta added.

Meanwhile, the suit fabric sellers like Raymond and Vimal are registering better sales compared to the past few years. “If you buy readymade two-piece suites, it will cost you between Rs 8,000 to 12,000. But if you go for a better product, then it will cost you between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000. This year, we have registered about a 17% increase in the demand for high-end products,” said Amit Srivastava, from the Behala outlet of Raymond.

Jackets hang inside a shop

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Interestingly, there is not much demand for products ranging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000. “A branded jacket and sweater would cost you between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. So, instead of buying those, people are going for cheaper copies they can get from the street-side vendors,” said Hassan of New Market. When asked why, Hassan said that because of the pandemic, the buying patterns of people has changed. They do not want to spend more on regular goods, he said.

Srivastava said that along with the cold weather, weddings are another reason behind the increased sales of winter garments. Because of the pandemic, several weddings were postponed and starting from November last year, a number of weddings are taking place in the city. “During wedding season, people generally go for high quality material. We believe that is another reason for this demand,” Srivastava added.