Old-timers may recall the days when girls in the 1-18 age group used to wear 'pattupavadas, the most elegant dress one could think of for girls. With the passage of time, however, the dressing mode of girls too changed, pattupavadas giving place to churidars and other mod ern dresses. However, girls in Kerala and some parts of South India, especially Tam il Nadu, are still enamoured of pattupava das and continue to wear them on special occasions like religious festivals and while going to temples. There is also a growing trend of young girls in Kerala preferring to go back to the use of pattupavadas.
Many attribute the revival of interest in this traditional dress to the effort of some enterprising entrepreneurs. The firm, perhaps the only one, that stands out in the pattupavada-making sector in Kerala is Prince Fashions, owned by Nawabjan P H. His brand, Prince Pattupavada, which has been in the field for 23 years now, is highly popular not just in Kerala and many other parts of India but in several foreign countries also.
Nawabjan started his career as a sales man in the Ernakulam market, Kochi. For about 10 years he confined himself to the textile sales field. It was then that the idea of launching an establishment of his own that came to his mind. He decided that the product that he would bring into the mar ket should be very different. Pattupavada was the product that came to his mind.

Nawabjan was entering the field at a time when readymade pattupavadas were hardly available in Kerala. In the initial days he himself supplied the item to peo ple who wanted them. The demand for the product was at the peak during fes tivals like Onam, Vishu and Thiruvathi ra. During the slack season he engaged himself in social activities. According to Nawabjan, pattupavadas became very popular throughout Kerala during 2012- 13 when it acquired the status of a brand. It was during this period, in 2012 to be celebrations," he says. exact, that he started making and export- ing the item to foreign countries, especial- ly those in the Gulf region. Today Prince Pattupavada is a much-sought-after item in more than a dozen countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zea land.
"Prince Pattupavada has become a fa- vourite brand of Keralites abroad," says a beaming and delighted Nawabjan. Ac cording to him, it is Malayalees in foreign countries who celebrate our festivals like Onam and Vishu with more fervour than those in Kerala. "Because of this we are very happy to have become part of their celebrations," he says. Nawabjan says that pattupavadas in attrac- tive colours and designs, as also frocks and nighties, for girls in the age group of 1 to 16 are available at Prince Fashions. Frocks for girls from 1 to 10 years are also a speciality It was in 2010 that Nawabjan started a stitching unit of his own with 40 stitch- ing machines functioning initially at Ko- this facility. chi. There is now a unit and a shop under operation at Erode in Tamil Nadu. Cloth is bought from places like Surat, Varana- si and Delhi. Today there are 6o people
working in the company. The designing of the clothes and the qual ity control of the products are being done by Nawabjan himself. At the time when he entered the field, there were hardly any rivals. But now many en trepreneurs have entered the field. "This has however not affected our business," says a very confident Nawabjan, Realizing the possibilities of online business in the field, Prince Fashions has started utilizing Nawabjan's aim is to take the company to greater heights. According to Nawabjan, the greatest attraction of pattupavadas is its traditional designs. He says Prince

Prince Fashions' promise to children is a new world of pattupavadas and a great shopping experience. If Price pattupavadas have reached world standards it is due entirely to the devotion and hard work of Nawab- jan. These products have also be- come the customers' darling because of their quality and their attrac- tive designs which, customers tes- tify, are of international standards.
Nawabjan emphasizes that Prince Fashions is committed to sup plying only superb varieties of great value its customers. to Film actor Baby Meenakshi is the brand ambassador of Prince Fash ions Pattupavadas. A beauty con test had been conducted under Prince Fashions last year in which many children had participated.