‘Modi jacket’ sales register significant fall in Aurangabad

A local trader said there was a time when around 35 such jackets used to be sold from his outlet per day. Now the number is down to one per week, he added.

Another city businessman Gurvinder Singh said factors like the GST, demonetisation and drought-like situation in the state have impacted the sale of these jackets, like all other apparels.

Many traders in Gulmandi, Tilak Path, Aurangpura, Sarafa, Osmapura and Cidco areas here echo similar views.

Cloth merchant Rajedra Bhawsar, who used to keep a stock of these jackets along with other readymade ethnic wear, says since the last one year not more than 10 pieces were sold from his outlet.

“I now face a problem as the unsold stock is more and I invested a big amount, but there is no profit,” he said.

Local tailor Dilip Lokhande, popular as Haroon Master, says with summer just around the corner, people are now showing more interest in khadi, linen and cotton shirts.

“No one comes to us for getting such (Modi) jackets stitched,” he said.

Lokhande says his workers specialising in jacket-making have now moved on to try their hands at more formal dresses.

“We used to charge Rs 200 to 300 for stitching these jackets, based on the style. But, now our labourers earn more than that by making formal dresses, so we are also facing problems,” he said.

Jacket specialist Shakeel, who assists Lokhande, says he remembers that he last got a customer passionate about this apparel in December last year.

“The customer came to us with polyester-cotton mix cloth for making the jacket, but he had to go back since my colleagues told him it will require over 15 days to craft it as they were already occupied with the marriage season,” he said.

“Despite next month’s elections, we don’t foresee that the jacket’s popularity will touch the 2014 levels,” he said.