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This is an archive article published on August 13, 2009

Fashion Forward

A rainbow-coloured belt is not something your average Joe will be comfortable sporting,but Sabina,the co-owner of India’s first Lesbian Gay Bisexuality Transgender Azaad Bazaar,contradicts the notion.

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A rainbow-coloured belt is not something your average Joe will be comfortable sporting,but Sabina,the co-owner of India’s first Lesbian Gay Bisexuality Transgender Azaad Bazaar,contradicts the notion. “A large percentage of our clientele is not from the LGBT community. They are straight people who like the stuff we have on offer. We have wives buying stuff for their husbands and young girls walking in with their boyfriends,” she says.

Indeed,the catalogue of Azaad Bazaar may proudly display merchandise in every possible hue of the rainbow,but they have appealed to a cross section of the society. The store was launched in Mumbai in February but its online version (www.azaadbazaar.com) was launched just about a month ago and has already created quite a stir. “We started off with making a few jewelries and accessories for our gay friends a few years ago. They were appreciated a lot and requests started pouring in. that’s when Simran and I started thinking of this as a potential business venture,” says Sabina who co-owns Azaad Bazaar with Simran.

Today Azaad Bazaar has moved on from trinkets and the store sells among other things,T-shirts,mugs,key chains,caps,wrist bands,belts etc. Simran and Sabina,however,still design the merchandise. “We have tried to keep the designs very cheeky and Indian. That’s probably why they are so popular with even straight people,” says Sabina. The Ma ka Laadla T-shirt for instance takes the opening line from a song from the hit film Dostana and makes a dig on it. Moreover,the pricing is very competitive. “Our products range from Rs 30 to Rs 1500,” informs Sabina.

Has the recent judgment on Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code translated into more interest in LGBT lifestyle items? “Not really,our customer base is still the same. It’s not as if people are using our items as a coming out statement,” says Sabina. Yet,she feels that initiative such as theirs facilitate the normalisation process. “There are many straight people who come down to our store and actually as us about Article 377 and we explain them what it is about,” says Sabina. Meanwhile,the future looks bright for Azaad Bazaar. “We plan to host exhibitions in all major cities of India. I hope that works out,” Sabina says.

You can buy Azaad Bazaar merchandise at http://www.azaadbazaar.com

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