Priyanka Chopra’s pop-star husband Nick Jonas has given a ray of hope to Solapur’s garment industry which is struggling to survive in the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the recent ‘Remember This Tour’ of The Jonas Brothers, Nick wore a printed shirt and posted his picture on social media. The fabric and design of the shirt resemble the famous GI-tagged Solapur Chaddar, a cotton blanket. The picture trending on social media has attracted attention to the fabric and local manufacturers say that the interests of netizens might provide a much-needed lifeline to the industry.
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“Many dress designers come to Solapur to buy Chaddars. In fact, there are many experiments being made with the Chaddar. Nick Jonas’s picture has suddenly attracted huge attention to the traditional Solapur Chhadar. This much-needed attention has come at a right time” says Amitkumar Jain, Director, Associated Garments Cluster Foundation.
‘Worn down by Covid’
Jain said, “In the last one and half years the textile and garment industry in Solapur is facing a tough time. Especially, the garment industry which makes school uniforms for the majority of firms in India has suffered heavy lossesas there was no demand as schools were shut. Many garment industrialists are moving towards the fashion industry and Jonas’ shirt has given them a ray of hope”.
One of a kind material
Solapur Chaddar is GI tagged product known for its durability, design, and all-season use. In the last one and half years, many Chaddar producers in Solapur have gone online to sell their products. Not surprisingly they are happy with Nick Jonas for indirectly helping their venture.
Interestingly, the comment section on Jonas’s picture on Instagram is full of mentions to Solapur Chaddar. “That shirt is literally made out of Indian blanket” commented one of the netizens while the another simply said, “ Solapur ki chaddar ”.
“There will be more searches about Solapur Chhadar on search engines. Imagine someone here presenting the idea of Chaddar shirt. He would have been ridiculed. But fashion trends set by stars definitely help. We hope that there is more publicity for Solapur Chaddar. It is only going help us in these testing times,” said industrialist Darshan Kocher.