Bangladesh’s apex garment makers’ body- the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has called upon local manufacturers to produce high-end fashion items using local heritage materials in order to diversify the apparel sector offerings and achieve the target of US $ 00 billion in exports by 2030. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made this request during the closing ceremony of a two-day workshop titled Creating high-end fashion with local heritage material of Bangladesh held at the BGMEA office in the capital Dhaka recently. The workshop, organised by the BGMEA with the support of the Ministry of Commerce under the enhancing integrated framework project of the World Trade Organization, provided training to 160 fashion designers on developing fusion dresses using traditional Bangladeshi materials such as jamdani and manipuri. The workshop was conducted by fashion designer Anadil Johnson, the founder of the Chicago-based fashion brand Neval. Faruque Hassan emphasised that the current RMG export value of Bangladesh accounts for less than 7 per cent of the global market value, and the goal is to increase it to 12 per cent by 2030 even if currently, 80 per cent of the country’s RMG exports come from only four products, and the aim is to introduce around 100 new RMG products by utilising traditional fabrics, materials, and recycled fibres.

Source: Dhaka Tribune June 22, 2023 14:24 UTC