Clothing Goa for more than a century

PANAJI: As a clothing brand, Bharne Creations barely advertises its presence, barring the festive or wedding season. Yet, it is the first name that most Goans think of or go to when it comes to their suiting and shirting requirements.
The owners of Bharne Creations virtually form Goa’s first family of the fabric business. Today, not only is the business run by the fifth generation of its founder, Atchut Bharne, but is also one of the few Goan ventures that has successfully sustained itself in the same line and can proudly boast a legacy of dressing up many generations of Goan families for over 110 years now, specially men, with its impressive array of suiting and shirting.
The flagship store, located in the heart of Panaji, in the vicinity of the Garcia de Orta, is where it all started for the brand back in 1904. Atchut was into the business of importing products from Japan and China. Among the items he imported were fabrics such as silk, dacron and sharkskin. From thereon, under the expert leadership of the founder, his son, Santu, began learning the ropes of the business. Santhu eventually handed over the reins to his own grandsons, Sanjay and Atchut. Today, with Sanjay’s sons, Samrudh and Siddhant, at the helm, the business has expanded exponentially and includes a made-to-measure section as well as a readymade clothing segment for all ages.
“It was in the late ’80s, after a tour of Europe, that my father, Sanjay, sensing the importance of diversification to stay alive in the business, introduced the trend of readymade clothing in Goa. This was at a time when people were habituated to purchasing fabric and then getting it stitched with a tailor of their choice. In fact, we have many firsts to our credit. Bharne Creations was the first store to have an air-conditioned section, a lift, a made-to-measure section. We have not only remained in the same line of business, but have also branched out across the state,” says Samrudh, a fifth generation member of the clan.
Though the brand was always strong in the suiting segment, it underwent further diversification seven years ago with the introduction of a readymade women’s wear and children’s wear section. “We realized that as an exclusive men’s wear store, we would not have much of a future as now, it is women who influence the buying habits of their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, etc. In fact, after we launched the women’s section, our men’s wear sales also increased by almost 30%,” Samrudh says.
Having branched out aggressively over the past couple of yearstoday the brand also has a presence in Mapusa, Margao and Sakhalithe Bharne family is now focused on consolidating and stabilizing each of their five stores and enhancing their performance. “Our USP is the freshness and exclusivity of garments. Each of our five stores has something different to offer to customers,” Samrudh maintains.