‘Puritan’ at 50

Despite the conservative connotation of its name, Puritan is proud of its pouch, briefs which is much more forward, literally and figuratively, than the classic styles of men’s underwear. It’s got more fabric on the man’s package to guarantee that it stays where it should.

“That style is patented. It provides comfort where you need it most,” says Naraindas Samtani, founder and managing director of General Garments Corp., the maker of Puritan.

Aside from its unique pouch brief, Puritan is arguably the only upmarket brand that has briefs in 5x (quadruple X) for a 48-inch waistline. “There are some big people out there. They need underwear too. There has to be an option available,” says Ravi Samtani, General Garments Corp. VP and Naraindas’ son.

Puritan underwear is 50 years old. Through it all, the classic white briefs and undershirt are still the most salable.

Starting out

“We are particular about the high standard of quality. We should offer consumers good value for money. My father registered it so we own the brand ourselves. It’s a Filipino brand,” maintains the younger Samtani. Although of Sindhi descent, he was born and raised in the Philippines. His father, Naraindas, now 84, was born in Sindh, a province in Pakistan (before the separation from India) and is a naturalized Filipino.

The family business dates back to the American times. In 1925, Samtani’s grandfather Tolaram migrated to the Philippines and worked as a trader until World War II savaged his businesses and properties. In 1946, Naraindas came to the Philippines. He joined the family business importing textiles from Japan and the US and selling them wholesale to neighboring countries. The Samtanis sold gifts and novelty items in Manila and Cebu.

Prosperous from retail, Naraindas told his father he wanted to venture into manufacturing. He had received samples of underwear—a brief, crew-neck and V-neck T-shirts and the tank (sando)—and asked cutters to dissect the patterns. A friend recommended the name Puritan because he liked the ring to it. It was a reference to a group of English Protestants in the 16th century.

When the undergarments were introduced in 1961, the market snapped them up because of the fabric, pure cotton supplied by Litton and Solid Mills.

Once the American brand Puritan threatened to sue Naraindas for using the name. “The government asked if they could prove that they used the name before we did. We were the first. It was registered in the Philippine trademark office in 1961,” says Naraindas.

Meanwhile, Naraindas established two more factories for export: Biflex Philippines, set up in 1967, was a subcontractor for an American ladies’ undergarment brand while Filflex, established in 1977, produced sportswear. Biflex lasted for 30 years, while Filflex went on for 25 years. They were discontinued as China was offering cheaper labor.

Woven boxers

Samtani explains Puritan survived because it had focused on the domestic market. He adds that with selective distribution, the company could control the retail prices.

Asked how Puritan has distinguished itself despite the proliferation of other brands in the market, Samtani says, “The international brands pay royalties to the mother company. What we save in royalty, we put into improving quality of the product. Filipinos have always been brand conscious. They prefer an international brand. We’ve been able to build up a loyal customer base and they’ve seen the difference. First is the hand feel of garment. It’s soft. Our selling point is that we use 100 percent US cotton. The workmanship is fine. The stitching is meticulous so the seams don’t break easily.”

The company prides itself for producing its own fabric. The yarns are imported, knitted locally in the facility in Pasig and sent to finishers for bleaching and dyeing. That way the quality is consistent.

Samtani says Puritan is one of the few local companies that is a licensee of the Cotton Council International, hence the Cotton USA logo on its products. While other brands use natural rubber for the waistband, which tends to expand and lose shape after ironing, Puritan fuses Lycra, a stretch fiber by Invista (formerly Dupont).

Although Puritan is perceived as the underwear of choice of dads and grandpas, the brand tries to shake off the image with its Fusion line of trendier designs such as bikinis, knits and woven boxers, hipster briefs in a variety of colors and prints. Five years ago, it introduced Puritan Junior for boys, which subsequently became the leading brand in many department stores.

The designs are created by the in-house product development team, which researches on the salable styles around the stores and attends foreign trade fairs for new looks.

Win-win situation

In 2007, Puritan closed down its manufacturing plant in Pasig. It had affected problems like labor problems, union demands, machinery breakdown, unwieldy overhead expenses and competition from China.

The company folded up house production to bring down the costs. To have a continued income, the Samtanis encouraged their productive employees to set up subcontracting companies to produce undergarments for Puritan. Since the workers are based outside Metro Manila, the wages are lower.

“They got severance pay and continued to earn their income as business owners. We provided the machines at a token rental of P1 a day. They are experienced in producing our line. The workers are paid per piece. The more they produce, the more they earn for us. The cost is fixed. If they quote P50, it can’t be P51. So we know the costs, selling price and markup. Before there were too many cost variables-overtime, machine breakdown and electricity. It was hard to manage. Our workers are happy and it’s a win-win situation,” says Samtani.

“While other companies source abroad, 100 percent of our products are done locally. We are supporting the local economy. Even our workers who worked for us for over 30 years and are now retirees continue to get income. We try to have a close relationship with our workers. They are partners in the business. If they look after interest of the company, we will always look after their interest.”

The Samtanis set up a charitable foundation to provide free medicine to the sick children of its workers upon presentation of the doctor’s prescription and receipts.

Today the workforce is trimmed to 30 regular employees and “promodisers,” associates in the stores, hired through agencies. Found in 40 retail outlets, Puritan reports a sales growth of 10 percent every year, owing to the new stores. To celebrate its 50th year, customers who purchase a second item of Puritan get 50 percent off.

On surviving this long, Samtani says, “You can’t be complacent. You have to look out for what’s new in the market and adopt new trends. You have to be aggressive when it comes to promotion. The customers can’t come to you. You have to reach out to them. Never compromise on quality. Once you start doing that, customers will notice the change. They will shift to another brand.”