November 2012

With increasing demand from buyers and also rising end-consumers’ awareness about “Green”, we have focused on “Green Initiatives” in this issue. Companies nowadays are attaining various international certificates to be the preferred supplier. The Epic Group’s CIPL, Dhaka, worth US $ 100 million, has taken special drive to reduce waste, save energy and bring down the cost of production, while Vintage Denim Studio, part of ABA Group, is the only platinum certified factory in the region. While Bangladesh continues its growth in apparel exports, we spoke to the fashion brand Lindex in detail about their growth strategies. Our technology segment talks about “Lean Toolkit”, which is a simple solution for those wanting to implement Lean. To overcome the reluctance of workers and management in implementing change, this tool with the help of some simple games and simulations can help create awareness among them. Also highlighted is “Real Time Data Collection” system which helps calculate critical sewing production data easily while saving time on labour and reducing errors. In our fashion forecast feature, we explain the trend seen in buttons and zippers that are critical to any garment and which also forms a crucial fashion element. .