The Blue Collar Uniform Hub of Chennai aligns with the times and grows bigger

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Time does not seem to have affected the fortunes of the shops at Sydenhams Road in Periament selling uniforms and accessories to frontline workers of various stripes. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Sydenhams Road in Periamet is the “wardrobe” for blue-collar workers. On this oft-crowded thoroughfare, from the point where the Greater Chennai Corporation’s headquarters (Ripon Building) begins to the point where the Nehru stadium almost ends, around thirty shops, some found in a cluster and others spaced apart, provide passersby with a peek into this wardrobe.

There is something for almost every front-line worker under the sun. Uniforms for security personnel; safety jackets for those working amidst traffic; safety helmets for construction workers; gear tailored for housekeeping staff and conservancy workers; shoes, boots, caps and belts associated with the police force; general caps; and laboratory coats. Let not that “and” hoodwink the reader into thinking this list is exhaustive. It hardly is. Bulk orders placed by corporates, government agencies, education institutions and construction companies, among others, as well as individual purchases sustain this business. And for novelty, orders sometimes fly in from cricket leagues and franchises.

Some of these enterprises operate from shops built into the Periamet mosque which was established in 1838 by hides and skins dealers. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

This visual side of Sydenhams Road is familiar for old timers, and it remains its dominant feature. For the superficial eye, little has changed. Can that be said about the eye that has been taking in this “scenery”, day in day out, for years, and even decades? Has anything in the market shifted significantly? As it was established in 1945, United Uniform is probably at an advantage while taking that question. It operates from a shop built into the historic Periamet mosque, established in 1838 by hides and skins traders. After Independence, the mosque would go through two reconstruction exercises, and that would give birth to these shops, partly defining the lower reaches of the mosque on one side. Kahifullah Khan, the third-generation owner of United Uniform, observes this shop was constructed in 1956. At that time, United Uniform was functioning from what was called ‘Red Building’ in Moore Market with the founder and Kahifullah’s grandfather, Hafizullah Khan at the helm.

Kahifullah recalls that the enterprise shifted to its current location in the early 1980s following the much-discussed Moore Market fire, an event that led to the scattering of Moore Market traders dealing in various goods to the nooks and crannies of Madras.

Corporates and government agencies are among those that place bulk orders for specific types of uniforms, with these shops at Sydenham's Road in Periamet. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

On the question of changes, Kahifullah draws attention to the facade of his shop and those of others in the mosque complex.