Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine Magazine April 2018 | Page 16

COVER STORY
Views & Opinions
Mir Gulzar-A-Alam, CEO, Western
Fashion Tex & Sourcing
Rajiv Islam, MD, Prisma BD Ltd.
“Japan market is not easy to handle…They are very
choosy and highly quality conscious with zero tolerance
towards errors …,” maintains Mir Gulzar-A-Alam, CEO
of Western Fashion Tex & Sourcing, a buying house,
specialising in suites to cater to Japan market alongside
UK. Speaking to Apparel Online, he underlined why
Bangladesh is yet to substantially capitalise on the
opportunities that Japan has to offer.
Bangladesh in scheme
of things
The second biggest apparel
exporter globally, Bangladesh is yet
to mark its dominance in Japan.
In 2017, Bangladesh exported
196.8 million kg of apparels to
Japan valued at 96.2 billion Yen
(US $ 908 million) as compared
to 213.1 million kg in 2016, valued
at 98.2 billion Yen (US $ 927
million). Of overall exports in 2017,
knit accounted for 51.6 per cent
share while woven captured the
remaining 48.4 per cent share. In
2016, knit accounted for 51.43 per
cent share of overall exports while
woven claimed the remaining 48.56
per cent. Bangladesh, however,
improved on its unit price from
2016 (460 Yen) to that of (490 Yen)
in 2017, up by 6.52 per cent.
In comparison, Vietnam, the
upcoming player and considered
to be one of Bangladesh’s
competitors, exported 577.4 million
kg of apparels to Japan in 2017,
valued at 369.2 billion Yen (US $
3.84 billion) and up by 10.30 per
cent on a Y-o-Y basis.
“There are more than 40 apparel
items that we export to Japan
including trousers, T-shirts, jersey
pullovers, shirts, babies’ garments,
etc… In the last fiscal year, our
overall export was not very healthy.
However, in last eight months (from
July to February), exports are
picking up once again and there
is more than 8 per cent overall
growth,” maintained Mohammed
Nasir, Vice President (Finance)
of BGMEA, adding, “Currently
we are mostly doing the basic
items, but if we intend to capture
markets like Japan, we would have
to come up with fancy, fashionable
and value-added items. If we can
diversify our product basket,
we can definitely grab these
opportunities in the non-traditional
markets. Manufacturers in
Bangladesh have understood this
well and are accordingly upgrading
their manufacturing practices and
product offerings…”
Team Apparel Online, in its effort
to give a complete picture of the
Japanese market, presents in
the following columns, exclusive
interactions with President of
Japan Bangladesh Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, a buying
house (with more than 50 per
cent business from Japan) and a
manufacturer, all of whom shared
their perspectives on the pros and
cons of Japan as a potential export
destination, and what Bangladesh
needs to do to increase its market
share in Japan.
16 Apparel Online Bangladesh | APRIL 2018 | www.apparelresources.com
Japan is the second largest market in the world
after UK in terms of suites, asserts Alam adding that
communication (language barrier) is a major hindrance
that stops many prospective Japanese buyers from
coming to Bangladesh. Besides, sourcing a major chunk
of their requirements from the traditional destinations like
China, Vietnam, etc. for long, Japanese buyers need to
be doubly sure of one’s capabilities before they venture
into any new country.
“But if one is good at what one does, price is not a
problem with the Japanese buyers…They pay for
workmanship and quality,” assures Alam.
Alam’s sentiments on quality parameters as sought by
Japanese buyers are aptly resonated by Rajiv Islam,
MD of buying house Prisma BD Ltd., who maintains
that stringent quality requirements is a major reason
as to why many Bangladeshi manufacturers are yet to
successfully venture into the lucrative Japan market. “Lot
of them (manufacturers) are not capable of offering such
standards yet…You need to be very high on quality and
commitment to be successful in Japan…,” confirms Islam,
who is currently working with three manufacturing units
exclusively to cater to the demands for knit, woven, and
sweaters from the Japanese clients.
Notwithstanding high quality requirements and even
stringent commitment levels, Islam is very upbeat about
Japan though! “I foresee a very bright future for both me
and Bangladesh in Japan market. I am working with a lot
of Japanese buyers and retailers and sourcing garments,
leather goods, jute bags, and home textiles for them.
One of my recent orders from a Japanese buyer was
that for 36,000 pieces of T-shirts and now the very same
buyer has placed an order for another  250,000 pieces of
T-shirts while another one also has an order of 450,000
pieces of T-shirts for Prisma…,” winds up Islam on a very
positive note.