Thirty-year-old Rashid Bin Kabeer, who works as a store in-charge of a textile unit in Dubai, nurtures hopes of restarting his purdah manufacturing unit, Hareem Purdha, set up by his father, P.M. Kabeer, in Kozhikode in the early 90s. It was perhaps Hareem Purdha and Hoorulyn Purdha, two major brands, which introduced and popularised the female Arab black attire in the public sphere of Kerala in the late 90s.
Over the years, purdah became a marker of identity for Muslim women in Kerala. But among the two brands, Hareem Purdha had ceased operations, while Hoorulyn Purdha is still available in the market. When the long black dress worn by Arab Gulf women was introduced in Kerala, the dominant colour was black. The two companies were also instrumental in bringing in innovations in purdah-making such as introducing different materials in various hues such as denim as part of wooing the younger generation.
“But the innovation the company had brought in was not well received in the market in the long run and the heavy investment we made and the tough competition forced Hareem Purdha to wind up its operations four years ago. Nonetheless, I am hopeful of restarting the business,” says Mr. Kabeer. The trends in the Arab market serve as a vital force behind the purdah industry in Kerala, he adds.
The trajectory of both brands also delineates the ups and downs and changing trends in the sector. K.P. Noushad, secretary, All Kerala Purdah Manufacturers Association, a body of over 200 registered manufacturers in the State, says the purdah industry was at its peak in Kerala when purdahs of various colours ruled the market – a period before the demonetisation. Garments of different hues were introduced then with a view to wooing women of all age groups to the dress. But the slide in the fortunes of purdah manufacturers began when the market switched again to black purdahs.
“It is still unclear what forced women to switch back to black purdahs. Earlier, young students who went for religious education at madrasas used to wear purdahs of other colours. Now, majority of them have shifted to black. Some religious clerics insisted on black reportedly due to influence from the dress code in Saudi Arabia, although Arab markets are the major trendsetters of purdah in Kerala,” says Mr. Noushad.
The reversal to black purdahs, which now account for over 80% of the production in the State, has also forced a considerable percent of the younger population to ditch the Arab attire, he adds.
Though a lot of design trends had been set in the purdah market, most of these were limited to handworks, embroidery, stone works, small fine fittings, along with fabrics and materials such as zoom, nida and so on imported from Arab countries. Razool Gafoor, owner of Hoorulyn Purdha, which once advertised as many as 1,001 types of purdahs of 313 different hues in 786 shops, admits that around 90% of his business now deals with black purdahs.
With regard to region-wise markets, north Kerala is dominated by black purdahs, though there is still a clear market for coloured purdahs among the moderate Muslims in central and south Kerala but where the community is sparsely populated, says Ahammed Firoz, owner of Almira Purdah, Kozhikode.
