Leading Indian brands foray into anti-viral clothing

The pandemic has encouraged many Indian textile and apparel brands, including Reliance, Arvind, Aditya Birla, Donear Group, Raymond Siyaram and few start-ups to enter the market for anti-viral clothing in India. Peter England, a menswear brand from the Rs 8,743-crore Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail recently launched a range of antiviral shirts and masks. The company has launched many products across categories such as work from home collection, disposable masks, reusable cloth masks, antiviral shirts & masks and the latest offering is Neem Tulsi Collection. The company is now gearing up to launch trousers, denims, T-shirts & loungewear.

Donear Industries launched anti-viral fabrics in April this year. The group has collaborated with men's wear brand Zodiac to launch anti-viral shirts called Securo. The cost of products ranges from Rs 250/m onwards.

However, Dr C Jagadeesh, Senior Consultant -Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospital, has doubts about the use of these garments. There is not enough scientific data on whether people using these clothes get less infected compared to others, he says. According to him, it is doubtful that these fabrics are able to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases.

In turn, companies confirmed that their products are tested at various labs in India and outside and they have virus resistant properties to ensure safety by inhibiting the persistence and growth of viruses and bacteria on its surface.