Taking traditions ahead
Taking traditions ahead

Have you come across people wearing t-shirts which read ‘Mein Gabru Des Punjab Da’, ‘Pure Punjabi’, ‘Sadke Jaavan’, ‘Vekhi Ja Pher Cheri Na’, ‘Proud by Birth - Sikh by Choice’ and the like. The brainchild of Harinder Singh, Creative Director, 1469 is a store that exudes the flavour of the Punjabi culture with its merchandise, display and ambience. Here’s his retail journey… 
 

Neha Malhotra (NM): What was the inspiration behind the opening of '1469'? How did you decide on the design concept? When was it launched? 
Harinder Singh (HS):
My passion inspired me to present the world with the treasures of Punjab- language, handicrafts and heritage. I have a knack for designing tee shirts and have been doing that for the past 20 years. My unique idea to put across my concept of catchy Punjabi slogans on tee shirts was accepted by the customers with a smile. This motivated me to open a conceptual store with the name -1469, the birth year of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. My life and work is driven by the three concepts of Guru Nanak – hard work, sharing and faith in almighty. I opened the first store named 1469 at Defence Colony in Delhi in Dec.’06. 

NM: What all products and merchandise are available for customers? 
HS:
Our product range comprises clothing like conceptual tee shirts, polo tee shirts, sweat shirts for kids and boys; tee shirts, silver jewellery, suits, sarees, scarves, embroidered bags, mobile covers, phulkaris and shawls for ladies; brassware, upholstery, pottery, furniture, calligraphed writings, paintings for home; coffee table books on Sikhism; jute bags, bumper stickers, recycled fibre bags for the environment; devotional music by Dya Singh, Panjabi folk songs, Shabad Kirtan from archives; and above all a lot of warmth. 

NM: Where all do you have 1469 stores? Is the merchandise available at MBO's as well? 
HS:
Presently we have two stores in New Delhi, one in Chandigarh and one store will be opening in Amritsar next month. Yes, our merchandise is available in multi branded outlets in Delhi, Jalandhar, Karnal, Patiala, Rudrapur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bombay, Goa and Chandigarh. Our tee shirts are also available in UK, USA and Canada. 

NM: From where do you get the ideas for your T-shirt messages? Which all languages do you make use of for printing of quotes.
HS:
Ideas come naturally to me, but we try to utilise innovative ideas and concepts from friends, families and even celebrities. Our tee shirt range consists of designs with art, humour, social and religious messages. We usually use Gurmukhi and English in our quotes on tee shirts. 

NM: You have also been felicitated by the Sikh Council on religion and education (SCORE), a U.S-based NGO for the promotion and preservation of Sikh culture. How does it feel to be recognised for something you believe in? 
HS:
I am very motivated and feel more responsible after receiving recognition for my passion. 

NM: From where do you source your merchandise? Do you have a manufacturing facility? 
HS:
We have an in-house manufacturing unit for tee shirts in New Delhi. 

NM: What are your future plans? 
HS:
The overwhelming response of Indians both living here and abroad and foreigners from all over the world makes us feel really good. We have to maintain the quality and consistency of our merchandise to assure our customers. In the next two months we are opening two stores each in Amritsar, which is known as the heart of Punjab and visited by all NRIs and the other at Janpath (Delhi).
 

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