The local fashion brand ravaged by the pandemic has relaunched itself to reach new heights
Almost seventeen years ago, Deshal entered the market with a host of unique ideas – painted faces on hand-woven cotton kurtis, taat or sarees, the use of wooden beads and other handicrafts in fabrics – bringing a breath of fresh air to fashion. wear industry.
And just like that, slowly but surely, their little shop on the first floor of Aziz Super Market became a haven for university students with limited pocket money, especially for University of Dhaka students.
Kanak Aditya and Ishrat Jahan, a couple who graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, founded Deshal in 2005.
Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Apart from men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, Deshal also produced lifestyle items and home decor items.
Deshal – which means ethnic or local race – has stayed true to its name, up to a point. All clothes were made from our local materials (cotton and other natural fibers), and made by our local ethnic weavers as well, until 2015.
For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Subsequently, the brand couldn’t resist including machine-spun garments in its collection.
Deshal’s novelty wore off over the years and she began to struggle. In 2020, the company was in dire straits – like many other entities in the country – as the pandemic hit many businesses hard. Kanak and Ishrat prepared to sell the brand.
“One of the basic characteristics of any business is that you have to let it breathe and grow. As Ishrat and I are both artists, we need this time to be with the art. But a growing business also needs time and attention,” Kanak said. Aditya, explaining why the iconic store was failing.
For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
When officials from one of the country’s major conglomerates learned that Deshal was for sale, they contacted the owners with a unique proposal.
They realized that Kanak and Ishrat were key to keeping the brand unique, despite not having the business acumen to help it grow. and they had business acumen in abundance. They explained to Kanak and Ishrat that the founders continue to have creative control of the brand, as they have entered into a partnership with them where they provide their business expertise and deeper pockets.
In 2021, Deshal officially teamed up with new business partners and the brand was re-launched in a new avatar on February 1 through a new outlet at Level 1, House 27, Road 12, Block H, Banani.
“Now through the partnership, responsibilities have been delegated and we hope this will help us and the brand grow,” Kanak said.
The rise, fall and rebirth of Deshal
Deshal was the brainchild of Kanak Aditya and Ishrat Jahan.
In an article published in a vernacular online publication, Kanak and Ishrat explained that instead of creating lifeless framed works of art hanging on walls, they wanted to create everyday art and turn people into canvases.
“So we made clothes our canvas.”
Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
With no business training, Kanak and Ishrat launched the brand. However, after a while, they realized that their academic education and fine arts training were not enough to start a business. Kanak and Ishrat then began traveling to weaving villages across the country to gain more experience.
In many ways, Kanak and Ishrat not only started a clothing brand, but were instrumental in building a relationship between art and fashion. Deshal’s primary focus has always seemed to be a sense of responsibility towards the country’s ethnic weavers and artisans.
Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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Over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
With Deshal’s sponsorship, Shaon Akand, another fine arts student started work on a book about weaving villages in the country and after three years of research, the book titled ‘Bangladesher Tant Shilpo’ (The Art weaving from Bangladesh) was published in 2018.
In 2009, Deshal joined Deshi Dosh, a collaboration of 10 local fashion brands like Anjan’s, Nipun, Kay Kraft, Rong, Banglar Mela, ShadaKaalo, Bibiyana, Prabartana and Nogordola. The common objective was to preserve local crafts and art.
Kanak said that from around 2014, Bangladeshi handicrafts started facing serious difficulties due to the end of the monsoon and the turmoil the local economy was going through at the time.
Even in 2018, Deshal was still struggling with the losses suffered during that time.
“The brand suffered even more after the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s when Kanak and Ishrat decided to sell their business,” said Tashaffi Khan, the current director and chief commercial officer of Deshal.
However, new investors showed interest and instead of buying it completely, they offered a partnership in September 2021. Within three months, Deshal and the new investors became official partners.
For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
According to the agreement, 60% of the shares are held by the new investors while Kanak and Ishrat hold the rest, Khan informed us.
They now handle the business side of Deshal, and Kanak Aditya and Ishrat Jahan handle the creative side. Ishrat is the lead designer, leading a team of 12, and Kanak oversees the overall production of the design.
For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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For over a decade, Deshal has focused on handcrafted ethnic products, with its own contemporary twist. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
A new avatar
“Deshal has over 200 local artisans and weavers across the country who work for the brand. Keeping that part intact, we have now expanded the product range with fast fashion lines, but without straying from the original mantra of making each product comfortable, durable and affordable,” said Tashaffi Khan.
He added that the brand is modernizing with new textile technologies, modern fabrics made by RMG and new printing methods and patterns. And with that, the target demographic is also expanding.
“Previously, mainly young adults, college-university students, and middle-income people were our TGs [Target Group]. But now, with changing market needs, we have decided to expand the range for a wider consumer base.
For example, for the first time, Deshal is offering knitwear targeting Gen Z; high-end materials like silk, Benarasi, Jamdani and other high-end products for higher income brackets have been added to our repertoire,” Kanak said.
Currently, the brand has seven outlets in the country, including the one launched yesterday. They plan to open two more – one in Mohammadpur in Dhaka and another in Bogura. And by the end of 2023, the brand plans to open more than 20 outlets across the country.
“In addition to physical stores, we are also working on e-commerce and affiliate marketing projects. In short, we want to gradually increase our retail footprint across the country,” said Tashaffi Khan.
More than 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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More than 200 local artisans and weavers across the country currently work for Deshal. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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