It's a little embarrassing that the news has come through so very very late, but it would seem that way back in 2016, the Indian branch of the international chain store Jack & Jones offered several King Features Syndicate licensed The Phantom shirts! From what we can gather, these limited release items were available in the Jack & Jones brick and mortar stores, as well as online shops like myntra.com.
With help from great Indian phan phriends in Swaroop Chand and Sudhir Sid Thakur, we have identified at least six different designs of shirts and t-shirts. From what we understand this was a very limited test release into the comics market, and something that Jack & Jones has sadly not followed through on since.
We have also become aware that three Mandrake designs were also produced - see the gallery below.
Myntra.com has now sold out of their stock, but ChronicleChamber has been told some stores in India may have very limited stock left.
You might notice that some of the designs have been used several times previously, and most have been seen before from Kasual Friday, Ikon Collectibles, Limitless Visions, or Entertainment Store, for instance. They are common KFS style guide images that have been used before.
Something that does make this clothing range stand out is the level of the detail in the designs. There are several different panels in the dress shirt for instance, and this item does seem to be unique among all the manufacturers mentioned. Also, each shirt features a tag with an image of the Phantom and Devil which has not been previously seen in a KFS style guide.
In the blue t-shirt, behind the tag and neck, there is a Good Mark pattern. Near the bottom of the shirts there is also a small Good Mark embroidered patch. It would appear that these are not just cheap knock offs, but quality licensed products.
One design that has generated a great deal of discussion among Phantom phans we have already shared this with is the smart casual dress shirt which features small panels of the Phantom strips from the newspaper stories, all classic Sy Barry. We've been having some fun trying to identify the stories the panels have come from!
We can't help but wonder - how good would this look being worn to a Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorer's Club dinner?
Special thanks to Swaroop Chand and Sudhir Sid Thakur for for informing the team at ChronicleChamber about these items. We only wish you had told us back when they were still available to buy!
