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Ramraj Cotton is an Indian ethnic wear brand and it is a brainchild of K. R. Nagarajan. Ramraj stepped into the textile business, predominantly selling white cotton shirts, lungis and dhotis. Ramraj Cotton has gained substantial market shares in the textile industry and gained a reputation as a market leader in the ethnic wear industry.[1][2] Ramraj has been reportedly manufacturing about 2,500 different varieties of dhotis. The popularity of the Ramraj brand which was solely due to its concept focusing on ethnic wear also paved the way for other brands such as Mister White, MCR to jump bandwagon.[3] The Ramraj Cotton company exports textile materials to Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia.[4][5]

Corporate history

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Ramraj Cotton was established initially as a small office in Tirupur in 1983 under the name Ramraj Khadi Traders by K. R. Nagarajan.[6] Ramraj Khadi Traders began it's operations with only a table and a chair as the only furniture items. It was revealed that the precarious situation pertaining to the livelihoods of weavers living in Tirupur area made K. R. Nagarajan sympathise with them and as a result, he began the Ramraj Khadi Traders to help the weavers through the revenue earned by selling dhoties.[7] K. R. Nagarajan named the company "Ramraj" using the letters that appear in both his name (Nagarajan) and his father's name (Ramaswamy). Ramraj Khadi Traders was later rebranded and renamed as Ramraj Cotton in 1987, when cotton replaced the use of khadi in the company.[6]

K. R. Nagarajan initiated the concept of Salute Ramraj, and he brought prominent actors and celebrities including Malayalam actor Jayaram, Telugu actor Rana Daggubati on board to shoot advertisements for his Ramraj branded clothing traditional attire with the Salute Ramraj theme being played in the background.[6] The underlying core principles behind the incorporation of Salute Ramraj anthem is based on the personal setback of its founder K. R. Nagarajan who was once denied entry to a five-star hotel due to his ethnic wear.[6] Nagarajan's thought process focused on ensuring that Ramraj Cotton stuck to its basic instincts on elevating the status of the dhotis and veshtis to a level of cultural pride. Over the years, with the marketing strategies of Ramraj, the public perception turned out to be positive towards dhotis and veshtis.[8]

In 2015, Ramraj introduced attached pockets to veshtis to cater to the requirements of men in order to keep their belongings, such as purses, mobile phones and handkerchiefs, in their pockets conveniently and to ease portability concerns.[9] In 2012, Ramraj Cotton began producing Velcro veshtis specifically for kids with the added feature of small pockets.[10] As of 2017, the Ramraj Cotton company owned 3 production facilities in Tamil Nadu, with over 82 exclusive outlets and 6,000 multi-brand outlets in across the territories of South Indian region.[11]

In January 2020, Ramraj Cotton introduced Ottikko Kattikko Adjustable Vetti Border concept after designing Ottikko Kattikko pasting dhoties for the convenience of gents.[12] Ramraj also produced a commercial advertisement with a promotional tagline "kattikko illa ottikko" (tie it or just stick it) specifically targeting kids with the aim of ensuring user-friendly mechanism and later the concept "kattikko illa ottikko" was also adopted by Ramraj Cotton for the advertisements featuring adult men.[12][13]

In September 2021, the company marked the occasion of centennial year of Mahatma Gandhi's historic attire change by staging a special event under the theme "Gandhiya Dhoti Centennial Celebration".[14]

Endorsements

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In 2019, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi wore a Ramraj Cotton-branded dhoti during a high-profile meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping at Mamallapuram, and Modi's adaptability to the South Indian Tamil traditional ethnic wear eventually put the brand under the national spotlight, and the moment also gained international recognition afterwards.[15]

In 2022, Narendra Modi also wore the traditional Ramraj-branded dhotis during the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad which was held in Chennai.[16] In January 2024, Ramraj announced Kannada actor Rishab Shetty as it's brand ambassador.[17] In 2024, Ramraj announced a partnership with Chennaiyin FC club as it's presenting sponsor for the Indian Super League.[18]

Ramraj Cotton conducted a fashion show to portray the models wearing the signature white shirt and dhoti costumes. In 2009, the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) in Atlanta brought on board approximately 700 men and women, where men and women gathered in large numbers to dress themselves in Ramraj-branded dhotis, salwars, as well as in sarees.[6]

In 2016, Telugu actor Daggubati Venkatesh was roped in as the brand ambassador of the company and he opened Ramaraj Cotton's Ameerpet branch in Telangana.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Service, Express News (2023-06-12). "Ramraj Cotton opens 250th store on 40th anniversary". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  2. ^ Preetha, M. Soundariya (2024-01-10). "Textile units in Tiruppur plan investments". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  3. ^ Sujatha, S. (2009-03-20). "Come elections, it is good time for political dhotis". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  4. ^ archive, From our online (2018-10-22). "Ramraj Cotton launches new outlet at Anna Nagar". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  5. ^ "Ramraj Cotton Opens New Store at Shamshabad". www.deccanchronicle.com. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  6. ^ a b c d e "A white revolution". The Hindu. 2013-10-11. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  7. ^ "HE BUILT up A BRAND to help weavers". The Times of India. 2022-05-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  8. ^ "Ramraj weaves a success story with labour innovation". BusinessLine. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ Rajan, Sangita (2024-10-29). "How ready-to-wear saris and veshtis are bringing tradition back to everyday style". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  10. ^ "Ramraj launches velcro pocket dhoti". BusinessLine. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  11. ^ archive, From our online (2017-09-14). "Ramraj Cotton to tap Rs 5,000 crore vests market". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  12. ^ a b archive, From our online (2020-01-01). "Ottikko Kattikko dhoties from Ramraj". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  13. ^ Revathy, L. N. (2019-12-31). "Now, adjustable dhotis with shirts to match from Ramraj Cotton". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  14. ^ Service, Express News (2021-09-23). "Ramraj Cotton celebrates 100 years of Gandhi's attire change". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  15. ^ "Veshti". Outlook India. 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  16. ^ "PM Modi's Traditional Veshti And Shawl With Chessboard Design At Chess Olympiad Grabs Attention". ABP Live. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  17. ^ "Ramraj Cotton ropes in 'Kantara' star Rishab Shetty as its brand ambassador". deccanherald.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  18. ^ Khandelwal, Aashay (2024-08-05). "Ramraj Cotton becomes Chennaiyin FC's presenting sponsor". SportsMint Media. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  19. ^ "Actor Venkatesh opens Ramraj Cotton showroom". The Hindu. thehindu.com. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
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