COVER STORY
sourcing T-shirts and formal shirts from
Bangladesh from limited number of
very compliant garment factories and
though the volumes are not so high, it has
encouraged some bigger companies to
invest in the shirt segment. The company
is increasing its volume in the country
every year with the improvement of the
working environment and compliance
practices. Another German high-end
brand Olymp has also started sourcing
formal shirts from Bangladesh.
“Of late we are
getting more
demand for
sweaters, jackets,
denim and other
products which
found base in
Bangladesh after
shirts. This is not
to say that there
is no demand
for shirts, but
the increase
is marginal,
while for other
products, the
growth is very
significant.”
– Khondoker Mahibur Rahman,
Managing Director,
Stanley Fashion B.D.
In the meanwhile, the unprecedented
growth and popularity of denim
(Bangladesh has overtaken China to
become the largest denim supplier to
the European Union and also the third
largest denim supplier to the US after
China and Mexico) in the last one decade
is seen by many as a major reason behind
shirt’s fledgling show. Rahman shares
that about 75% of his demand is for
denim today. “The way the industry has
been investing in denim is unprecedented
in itself, no other product has grown
like this and today we have integrated
strengths that did not exist about a
decade ago, and this has been pushed by
buyers who now look at Bangladesh as
a major supplier, both in the basic and
fashion segment,” reasons Rahman.
Contributing further to the slowdown in
shirt growth has been the diminishing
profit margins in the basic shirts