As France plays host to the Paris Summer Olympics 2024 from July 26, it’s a moment of joy and excitement for a close-knit textile company unit located over 8,000 miles away in Tiruppur.
Back Bay India, a company led by mother-daughter duo, Deepa Jayan and Aishwarya Jayan, and six manufacturing units have despatched ‘Made in India’ labelled products, as many as eight lakh apparel and accessories including tote bags for the games in France. “We have sent out our final shipment with T-shirts and sweatshirts to Paris,” says Aishwarya with visible pride. The products will be sold as official merchandise and souvenirs at the stadiums of the Olympic Village. “If you see ‘Made in India’ apparel in any of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) retail channels, it may well be from us, the textile hub in Tiruppur,” she adds.
All the products are aligned with the Paris Olympic 2024 theme and look, prescribed and approved by the Olympic committee. They include T-shirts, sweatshirts, trousers, shorts, polos, tote bags and sweaters, with the licensed Olympic logo printed on it. The products will find their presence in the stadium, malls, stores, and fan avenues through relevant retailers.
Some of the collections on display | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Many years of toil and preparedness have led them to this proud moment, says Aishwarya adding that the company got the prestigious order from its primary long-standing client in Paris. “The experience of working with European clients helped us enter the official merchandise world of international sporting events with FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, followed by a dominant role supplying over six lakh products in Rugby World Cup 2023 and eventually leading to double of the same for the Olympics 2024. The client trusted us and we facilitated the order as a team along with the six manufacturing units who work with us. It involved more than a year of intense work beginning with sampling, quality standards, and approvals from the Olympic Committee, which was done by the client. There were several rounds of approvals and quality checks at every stage before we shipped the consignment.”
The products spanning around 300 print designs highlight the Olympic rings and the mascot ‘The Olympic Phryge’ symbolising freedom and liberty — decked in blue-white-red, the colour of France’s tri-colour flag, along with the golden Paris 2024 logo emblazoned across the chest.
“The order comes with great responsibility as we are representing Brand India. It would be visible to the keen eyes of spectators, visitors, and delegates from across the globe at the event,” explains Aishwarya, who now heads the company’s operations..
Aishwarya Jayan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Though Back Bay has done merchandise for numerous brands including movies and games, the Olympics project is a big leap in the sporting arena. “We are excited about the Paralympics order too. We work with material that is either 100 per cent cotton or a blend like polyester cotton, but predominantly cotton,” says Aishwarya, who quit her job at Goldman Sachs to join and support her mother in the apparel business.
“It’s been a great learning curve right from the basics of choosing right textiles to building a credible brand. Back Bay is a buying office. We are dealing with knitwear industry where even one minor slip can cost us dearly. A single T-shirt passes through several hands before it reaches a store something akin to the enormous efforts by farmers to put the food on your table. We minimise wastage at every stage and insist on repurpose, upcycle, and reuse fabrics.”
Aishwarya adds,“Alongside the victories of sportspersons in the medal tallies, the economic presence in this manner also highlights ‘Make in India’ stories of micro, small, and medium enterprise companies who have toiled their way to make their presence felt. It’s a proud moment.”
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