The sweet smell of shirts

Chennai, Oct 7: When imagination runs riot, there can be only innovation and winners. Wrinkle and iron-free shirts are passe. The cosmopolitan urber-chic pro is now free of the stiff upper lip cliche and will come with a touch of fragrance...courtesy Tamil Nadu's 'Co-optex'.

The Tamil Nadu Government's Co-optex is pulling all stops to ensure a perfect 'Diwali' for customers by launching scented readymade shirts.

With Handlooms and Textiles Minister N K K P Raja gracing the occasion, the shirt launch marks a new concept in ready-to-wear segment with the scents of rose, jasmine and lavendar wafting in the air.

''The speciality of this product is the pleasant fragrance will last up to 50 washes. The yarns are treated with aromatic ingredients.

''Once we are ready with these organic scented cotton shirts, we may even export them,'' he added.

When told about Ayurvedic material introduced by the weavers in Kerala, he said Co-optex would study the idea.

''We can make use of native medicines of Tamil Nadu in our materials here,'' he said.

The Minister also introduced ''Adukku Thugil,'' a designer silk saree. The variety is unique as weaving of silk yarn and zari designs is done separately before being joined together.

Mr Raja said the department had a collection of 2000 designer sarees, including nine new designs, introduced on Friday. Most of them were created by in-house designers, while other 500 designs were from the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

Co-optex Managing Director M P Nirmala said ''the silk designer saree would cost Rs 54,000, but after rebate it would cost to Rs 40,000.'' Ms Nirmala said though the Co-optex customers were pre-dominantly from the lower middle class, the department was making efforts to attract middle and upper middle class segments as well.

''If the lower middle class prefers synthetic materials, the middle class and upper middle class are attracted by our cotton products,'' she said adding Co-optex was eyeing a revenue of Rs 50 crore this festive season compared to Rs 37 crore last year.

UNI