Menswear brand PN Rao to reenter womenswear segment

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jan 20, 2023

Menswear brand PN Rao plans to reenter the womenswear business and create a line of professional attire for women. The business will also expand out of South India to reach more shoppers.

“Now the situations are completely different in a boardroom, women are taking over in every field,” said PN Rao partner Naveen Pishe, ET Bureau reported. “Therefore, we want to focus on strong and confident business women.”
 
Although PN Rao launched as a clothing brand for both men and women in Bengaluru in 1923, the 100 year-old brand specialised into just menswear following Indian independence. The brand focused on business attire for men and now plans to introduce business wear for women into its product portfolio. 

PN Rao is run by four partners: Naveen Pishe, Chandramohan Pishe, Ketan Pishe, and Machender Pishe, who held a media conference on January 19 to announce the upcoming launch and celebrate 100 years in business. “South India is a low hanging fruit for us and after this we will be targeting the north as well,” said the four partners on Thursday, ET Bureau reported. 
 
The brand currently counts five flagship stores in Bengaluru and two in Chennai. After further bolstering its retail presence in South India, PN Rao will travel north and expand into the rest of India.