Menswear and accessories maker Turtle is set to launch hand-woven khadi garments next month. The new range – complete with shirts, trousers and jackets – will be marketed as premium casual wear and will hit stores by the first week of March.

The Kolkata-headquartered company has tied up with nearly 250 weavers in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal for producing hand-woven khadi fabric. This fabric will be processed into garments in its factories.

According to Shitanshu Jhunjhunwalla, Director of Turtle, in the first phase, the company has procured nearly 20,000 m of khadi fabric through its contract with the weavers.

Turtle produces nearly two million pieces of garments annually at its three units in Kolkata, Howrah and Bangalore.

“With these 20,000 m of fabric, we have been able to produce around 12,000 pieces of garments, which will be available across our various stores beginning March this year,” Jhunjhunwalla said at the launch of khadi menswear under the theme “Ecological Weave” here on Tuesday.

Prices start at Rs 2,195 for shirts and Rs 5,995 for jackets, he said.

Turtle currently has two lifestyle brands — Turtle in the premium segment, and London Bridge which is a value brand offering lower priced products.

As Khadi is a completely hand-woven fabric, scalability will be a challenge. “There are production limitations as it is completely hand-woven. This also makes it expensive, which is why we are targeting the niche category of customers,” Jhunjhunwalla said.

Based on the success of its launch collection, Turtle would look at scaling up the project by roping in more weavers from towns such as Shantiniketan and Phulia in Birbhum and Nadia districts in the State.

The company’s turnover, which stood at Rs 120 crore in 2011-12, is expected to grow to Rs 140 crore by March 2013, he said. The khadi line is expected to account for close to five per cent of the turnover by 2015, he added.

>shobha.roy@thehindu.co.in

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