(From top) A customer checks out jeans at a store, a garment outlet and a youth chooses sneakers at a showroom, in Patna on Wednesday. Pictures by Jai Prakash

Patna, June 15: Showrooms of international brands are mushrooming in the state capital, courtesy the new-found interest of residents in tags of products.

Outlets of a wide range of brands have come up in the past few years. Name any big brand and you won’t be hard pressed to find one, at a market near your house. Levi Strauss, Lee, Nike, John Players, Reebok — name it and you will get it.

Growing consciousness of brands, availability of a plethora of means and awareness of the latest fashion trends in every corner of the world are the obvious reasons for the increase in the number of shops. The transformation of the market has made an impact on the choice of consumers and vice-versa. The huge range of options available in the market have made people become choosy about their clothes, the youths being the most demanding.

Ragini Kumari, a student of Magadh University (distance education), said: “I always want to look bold and beautiful, whether it is summer or winter. I like to shop from Lee, Levis and Nike. Fortunately, Patna has outlets of all these brands.”

Pleased with the options to choose from, Ragini added: “Though branded clothes are expensive, they fulfil my desires and make me look good.”

Experts find interest of youths like Ragini understandable.

Faculty member of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Shweta Rajan Sharma presented an insight into the growing craze for branded clothes. Sharma said: “Branded and fashionable garments are more in demand because big stores update their clothes, including their colour, texture and design, according to the season. The local stores are often lacking in resources and variety. Moreover, wearing branded clothes is perceived as a status symbol.”

Wonder what is the latest style symbol of the fashionable college students? Look around the colleges in the city and you will find the girls sporting form-fitting jeans, trendy tees, capris, patiala, leggings and kurtis. The fashionistas match their ensemble with trendy slippers that too have become quite a rage. Another favourite is stylish scarves/stoles that give the outfits a smarter look.

Surbhi Jaiswal, a BCom student of Magadh Mahila College, said: “I wear readymade patiala and Nike T-shirts to college. The craze for this outfit touched the roof after the release of Jab We Met. My friends and I opted for the look as we are huge fans of Kareena, who carried off the look with style in the film.”

Nikhil Pranav, a DAV BSEB passout, said: “Till even four years ago, I used to buy my clothes from branded showrooms in Delhi. But now, Patna has its own branded showrooms and I prefer buying my clothes from here.”

Chandan Kishore, a college student, said: “Branded clothes have become popular among college students, as the youths want to look smart and different. Earlier, we had only a few branded stores in the city but now the numbers have increased.”

So which brand does Chandan opt for when it comes to his clothes? “Levis is the only brand that I trust. They never shrink, fade or wrinkle. I feel comfortable in these clothes.”

The outlets that offer the world to the young customers make it a point to keep tabs on their changing tastes.

A showroom owner at Capital Market said: “I keep apparels exclusively for students, from faded jeans to tees and shirts. Outlets of lesser known branded clothes have also opened in markets, apart from small shops that try to keep up with the recent trends by coming up with bright designer outfits.”

However, not all are happy with the entry of branded outlets, the tailor shops, to be precise. “Very few people come to us to get their shirts and trousers stitched these days, as branded clothes are available in the market at different prices,” said Mohammed Hashmat, a tailor at a once-popular shop in Patna Market.

He, however, was quick to add that people still prefer to get their suits tailored, instead of buying them readymade from showrooms.