Wootz brand is a recent addition to the ever-growing clothing designers who have a Sikh or Punjabi audience in mind. Azadvir Singh, the founder of Wootz describes it as “a brand which celebrates Sikh martial history“. He hopes it can inspire people to get “back to their wootz“.
Azadvir had strong feelings when he started out as he “didn’t want to commercialise our faith, but [recognises] this is a great way to bring our traditions to the forefront“.
The digital art on the Wootz website features some of the most beautifully depicted illustrations of Sikh history available. I’m not entirely sure whether the people depicted are any individuals from history or just your average ‘Joe-inder’. Actual figures in history feel more relevant to me, but that doesn’t make these characters less inspiring.
It’s fair to say that the clothing on sale is mainly targeted at those who regularly exercise and take care of themselves physically. In a community which prides itself on who can make the fattest portion of langar, it’s great to see encouragement to look after ourselves. However, this isn’t something that is going to be achieved by everybody and can limit the type of people who are likely to buy the clothing. This is especially true when you see the price tags for t-shirts which range from £15 – £25 and hoodies which are £30. Personally, I would really struggle to pay that kind of money on clothing, but the truth is you get the quality you pay for – and these are high quality garments. Also worth noting, if you’re a UK-dweller like me, the price balances out as you won’t have to pay the extra delivery cost like you do with many of the other Sikh/Punjabi clothing lines – so a definite incentive to buy there!
Much of the clothing for women looks like they’re on the way to the gym too and I’m not convinced that there is a significant feminine offering here. One piece that stands out though is ‘The Moor’ t-shirt for women. The colours are vivid and triggers off mental-singing of Punjabi MC’s ‘Moorni’ track from last year. It blends a western style with a Punjabi theme beautifully – a difficult thing to tie together. Generally though, the warrior theme works really well and Wootz brand comes across as motivating gym/workout clothing that can be worn casually too.
I’m also impressed by the accessories as there’s very few available by any other clothing creators in the community, so this is an exciting step in the right direction. Right now there’s a backpack available in several different colours, but there’s bound to be more additions so Wootz is definitely a space to watch.
I really like Wootz brand for their ethos, the inspirational quotes they share on social media and the fact that they’re creating professional products. The items for sale may not be my cup of tea but I’m still an admirer and continue to be a fan. If you have some cash to splash and enjoying repping marital traditions, check out the ‘Louis Vuitton’ don of Sikh clothing – Wootz brand!
