Apparel-makers look to local heritage for luxury fashion export

Locally produced fabrics based on the cultural heritage of the country such as muslin, jamdani, silk and khadi could be instrumental in grabbing a substantial portion of the global market share of high-value apparel products, said stakeholders at an event in the capital on Wednesday. 

The global luxury bridal clothing market is valued at $62 billion annually and Bangladesh has the potential to capture a significant share of this market, said Anadil Johnson, fashion designer of Bangladeshi origin and founder of Neval, a Chicago-based fashion house.

"Jamdani fabrics are not limited to sarees but can also be used to create exquisite high-end garment items, particularly for weddings and bridal collections," she told the journalists at the closing ceremony of the training project titled "Creating High-End Fashion with Local Heritage Materials of Bangladesh".

In partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) organised the training programme for 160 aspiring fashion design students, young designers, local weavers, and garment representatives.

The objective of the training, held at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara, was to foster the development of designs inspired by local motifs.

Anadil Johnson, one of the trainers involved in the project, shared her experience of sourcing jamdani fabrics from Sonargaon for over a decade.

She revealed that she has been utilising these exquisite fabrics to create high-end garment items, particularly for her customers in the USA, with a special focus on wedding and bridal collections.

She said that millennials in the USA are increasingly interested in adopting new fashion trends that are outside of the traditional mainstream. She believes that heritage fabrics from Bangladesh, such as jamdani, could be a good replacement for these trends.

Showing the jacket she was wearing, Johnson said, "It is made of Bangladeshi jamdani fabrics and we sell it at $800 in our store."

"We collect jamdani fabrics from the weavers and produce high-value apparel items through this. We also work on Monipuri and other heritage fabrics. I ask the weavers to provide fabrics, not sharees to prevent wastages," she added.

"We are also focusing on producing and exporting high-end lingerie items made of heritage fabrics," she further said.

Dr Ayub Nabi Khan, pro-vice-chancellor of the BUFT, said that India has been exporting heritage fashion garments worth $5 billion annually.

"We have collaboration with 23 universities. We have to work on recycling, technical textile and other sustainable aspects," he added.

BGMEA focuses on heritage fabrics

BGMEA president Faruque Hassan, emphasised on heritage fabrics as they aim to harness their potential in achieving the ambitious $100 billion export target by 2030.

He expressed the desire to establish Bangladesh as a renowned brand by producing high-end products that incorporate local heritage fabrics, which would also open avenues for product diversification.

"In pursuit of our vision and to enhance our global market share, we are dedicated to advancing ourselves in various aspects. These include product and fabric diversification, product sophistication, new design development, value addition, and technological upgradation," he said.

"We are focusing on various motifs of our cultural heritage such as the Royal Bengal Tiger, Water Lily and rickshaw paintings," he added.

Faruque Hassan said the training programme will help connect weavers, designers, academicians, and brands.

Currently, fashion designer Kuhu Plamondon is working with aspiring fashion designers from ten different factories to bring innovation within the industry, he said.

Elias Mia, project director of the training initiative, said that the project for developing designs based on heritage materials for high-end fashion items was initiated by the commerce ministry in August 2018.

The project, focused on utilising local heritage materials, is set to conclude at the end of this month, he said.

According to the BGMEA, 160 participants have been trained under this project, divided into eight batches.

These participants encompass various institutions and sectors including 75 from the RMG factories, 20 from BUFT, 17 from BUTEX, 6 from Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, 15 from BKMEA, 5 from AFDB and 19 local weavers.