Pioneering a Vogue
JK Foreign Brands, a brand specializing in wedding attire and formal wear by Faisal Mrittik opened up to COLORS Plus’ Lamyaa Yushra on his brand which introduced an array of diverse designs to weddings attires and a new twist to Bangladeshi wedding outfits through its trail cut designs.
South Asian countries take pride in glitzy affairs and all things glittery. So, when it comes to weddings, the décor is paid the utmost attention whilst the bride and groom who hold the center stage are adorned head to toe with gorgeous wear. But choosing the appropriate wedding outfit can put one in a dilemma as to where they can purchase their precious wedding dresses from. Add to that, the wedding fashion scene keeps changing and people try to keep up with the trend so that the most important day of their life remains not only memorable but the outfit should leave a mark, considering girls are quite picky about their wedding attire these days.
Over the years many stores have popped up as customers’ demand for unique extravagant wear grew into a fully blossomed demand. Social media have played a major role as girls were exposed to varieties of wedding designs which were somewhat lacking despite many stores providing exclusive wedding collections. Faisal Mrittik, the proprietor of JK Foreign Brands was able to pinpoint the void and through his brand, he pioneered the trend of trail cut lehenga and gowns. He initiated the business with his wife through a Facebook page in 2013. “Me and my wife would design many dresses and sponsor models and other influential individuals. Then we moved our criteria to bridal wear and it received a lot of appreciation that it propelled us to build up a very good business in Dhaka.”
In 2015, JK Foreign Brands launched a physical store and there was no looking back as the brand paved the way for creating more opportunities for brides to experiment with their attires which was no longer limited to sarees and lehengas, thus opening a can of flavors to an otherwise monotonous attires in our Bangladeshi wedding culture.
One thing is evident, JK Foreign Brands did not solely rely on Indian designers for its inspiration but also added touches of Pakistani designers which hooked their client’s attention. “People were getting more conscious of fashion thanks to Instagram and Pakistani designers were just starting to gain prominence but the wedding scene was lacking that and so we decided to fill the void in the market.” They got inspiration from their neighboring countries, especially Pakistani designers who were famous internationally with their trail cut designs and so they clinched this detail to their collection and specialized on it. From then onwards, the trend for trail cut lehengas, ghararas, shararas and gowns became a popular sight but Faisal Mrittik takes pride in the fact that they are the first to introduce trail cut designs in the Bangladeshi market which has become an in-style trend for brides. They also design for groom’s collection and they are very famous for sherwani and it’s followed up by suits, Jodhpuri, prince suit and koti thing which is seen all round the year and can be worn for a holud or any formal wedding program.
JK Foreign Brands have all sorts of designs in their collection but their wedding attire takes the cake as it gathers the masses to their outlet. “We are very famous for the bridal collection and whether it’s an occasion customers visit our outlet at least once to check the collection and so what we did was we brought in many changes in our designs. Behind every design, it takes months of effort and time to customize an attire keeping our customers’ requests in mind which we deliver with utmost care.” Faisal Mrittik mentioned they are more comfortable working with their clients on a theme-based wedding where they can customize according to their client’s taste, channeling the energy and vision that the bride and groom embody.
When the closure of physical outlets tumbled the clothing industry, JK Foreign Brands decided to go back to its roots from where their journey took off: Facebook page. “Since last year how we have been handling the pandemic is that we have inclined towards digital marketing and went back to our roots again and became full time active on our Facebook page. So, immediately we started hosting live shows from our outlet by hiring influencers and what happened was we started getting huge responses from outside the borders like the USA, UK, and Australia.” It was not new for them to be getting foreign clients but the live sessions generated a whole mass of clients from all over the world for JK Foreign Brands. Thus, the brand took full advantage of digital marketing and fully specialized in display marketing. “As we know, weddings took place unhindered despite the pandemic so we had to bounce back, and going live with the help of influencers was the perfect opportunity we nabbed on. So, in digital marketing, the live sessions gave us the benefit of the situation and we were also available one-to-one on our WhatsApp with our clients open to queries.”
The Bangladeshi wedding scene observed a drastic change as brides and grooms are scaling down from adorning extravagant wears and are opting for subtler looks. “The customers opened up about their needs for simpler attire for in-home weddings. Thus, they wanted to wear something sophisticated which matched their budget. So, we catered to that demand by customizing those outfits taking 1 months’ time.”
The splurge of orders prompted Faisal Mrittik for plans to expand beyond the borders as their customer base has grown exponentially over the years, especially during the pandemic when their orders came from international clients urging them to open up an outlet in their vicinity. “A sense of dedication started forming among us as our clientele showered us with a lot of appreciation and we want to explore beyond the boundaries of our country.”
Currently, JK Foreign Brands plans to open a store in New York followed by the UK and Dubai. “Although there is a pandemic situation, hopefully very soon, we will make an announcement about our expansions in New York.”
Faisal Mriitik sees JK Foreign Brands have a worldwide recognition like that of Indian and Pakistani designers and through his brand, he wants to represent Bangladesh on the fashion scene largely dominated by our neighbors. Bridal wear and formal wear hold great value to individuals who don it. That special day that will be the highlight for everyone for the rest of their lives, all captured from the creative mind of designers who give their all to create those unique pieces of wearable art.
