The West Bengal government is set to launch its third premium fashion brand to save a dying textile art of the state. ‘Baluchari’, the designer brand is being mentored and designed by Abhiskek Dutta and promises to revive the art of making Baluchari silk from districts of Bankura and Purulia. Besides saris, the fashion brand will also launch shoes, bags, wallets, belts and furnishing all using silk.
Bengal, that also has a GI tag for Baluchari, is trying to make the silk a high fashion fabric that would not just save Baluchari from becoming extinct but also get the silk weavers employment under the product.
The chief minister is expected to inaugurate the brand’s flagship store in Kolkata’s Park Street soon. Working closely with the MSME department, Baluchari is being marketed by fellow state-run brand Tantuja and is moving towards international expansion.
Tantuja recently made a turnaround recording three consecutive years of profit after incurring losses for 25 years with new marketing and retailing strategies. The brand will be applying the same strategies to Baluchari.
“Diversifying the silk to make it attractive for the younger generation is our target with brand Baluchari,” Tantuja managing director Rabindranath Roy said.
“Since we are targeting the youth, we are also trying to make the products available where the youngsters like to shop. It will also be available on the e-commerce platforms so that Baluchari has a wider reach, especially in the US,” Roy added.
“While saris are a prominent part of the collection, we have bags and shoes with Baluchari patches and some leather in puts to make it sturdy,” he said.
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