Bangladesh is now the second-largest supplier of ready-made garments in the world, but this has not stopped the rise of foreign clothing and textiles in the nation’s domestic fashion industry.
Industry insiders claim that the market is dominated by foreign items, primarily fabrics and finished goods from China, India, and Pakistan.
A number of factors have been identified by business leaders and designers as contributing factors, including the lack of support from government policies, the deficiencies in design school curricula catering to the export-oriented industry, the dearth of fashion design subjects in universities, and the general lack of initiatives from government.
Fashion designer Biplob Saha, the founder of fashion house Bishwo Rang while sharing with local media, emphasised the detrimental effects of this trend, stating, “Foreign products are now dominating about 60-70 per cent of the local fashion industry. We are gradually losing our local crafts at this moment,” he said.
‘Many weavers are also switching to other professions to make a living,’ he added.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ 2018 Handloom Census found a worrying downward trend in the number of handloom weavers over time.
The number fell by seven lakh between 1990 and 2018, with a notable decline from 10,27,407 weavers in 1990 to just 3,01,757 in 2018.
Local apparel designers have expressed dissatisfaction with the surge of imported foreign goods and textiles.
Additionally, they are pressuring the government to enact measures that will help local artisans and revitalise their industry.
