Local and global industry executives have indicated that as Western economies continue to improve, there is an increasing demand for locally-made denim clothing.
Strong competitors like Vietnam, Pakistan, and Turkey continue to produce significant amounts of denim, making the global denim industry extremely competitive nevertheless. However, because of the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak, the turmoil in Russia and Ukraine, and severe inflationary pressures in important countries like the US and the EU, denim product sales have stagnated over the last three years.
The potential difficulties facing Bangladesh’s export-focused apparel industry were emphasised by Syed M. Tanvir, managing director of Pacific Jeans, a significant denim manufacturer with a daily production capacity of more than 150,000 trousers. He stressed the need for the nation to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2030 and adhere to EU due diligence standards by 2026. Tanvir said his company wants to increase exports by at least 12 percent by the end of the year. He also said local denim mills should concentrate more on producing value-added products in order to compete successfully in the international market.
When the 17th Bangladesh Denim Expo opened at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka, these observations were made. The director of Team Group, Md. Ali Rasul (Tuhin), emphasised the importance of prompt delivery of goods while pointing out that recent labour unrest and political instability in industrial zones have raised concerns among international merchants. He was confident that work orders that had been sent to other nations could start to come back once things stabilised.
Ziaur Rahman, regional country manager for the Swedish retail behemoth H&M, which operates in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, spoke about consumer expectations during an expo seminar. Rahman promoted creative ways to boost the creation of value-added products in a global apparel industry valued at around US $ 1.8 trillion, stressing the need for transparency, self-sufficiency, and increased investment in people and technology.
Manish Chauhan, chairman and co-founder of Noize Jeans, praised Bangladesh as irreplaceable for its pricing and quality, noting he has successfully operated two garment factories in the country for 20 years, exporting denim goods valued at US $ 80 million annually.
In order to boost buyer trust in Bangladesh, Mostafiz Uddin, the founder and CEO of Bangladesh Denim Expo, called for improvements in the law-and-order situation as well as better pricing talks with foreign retailers. Around 56 businesses from 18 countries attended the exhibition, but a number of foreign exhibitors were unable to go because of visa problems.
