Garment exporters in Bangladesh have been able to reduce shipping times to 60 days from the earlier 120 days as international clothing retailers and brands now prefer to use local fabrics in apparel items. Sourcing local fabrics is helping retailers and brands speed up deliveries to the European and American markets. Local fabric use increased with easing of COVID-19 restrictions as companies rushed to deliver products on time and reduce shipping costs that had shot up more than 500 per cent.
Abdullah Al Mahmud Mahin, Managing Director, Hamid Fabrics says, his company has overbooked orders. They supply woven fabrics to well-known retailers and brands including Hugo Boss, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, JC Penney, H&M, Esprit, M&S, s.Oliver, and Colors of Benetton. Hamid Fabrics expanded production capacity to one lakh yards of woven fabrics per day from 75,000 yards just before the pandemic.
Garment exporter, Urmi Group makes 35 tons of fabrics per day and supplies the entire produce to garment segment to manufacture products. The company had to increase production capacity as buyers started demanding more local fabrics, says Asif Ashraf, Managing Director. Urmi Group expects exports to rise 20 per cent to $200 million this year.
Md Shahidullah Azim, Senior Vice-President BGMEA says, using local fabrics help exporters save up to 60 days in apparel shipments. Mohammad Ali Khokon, President, BTMA rues, textile mills in Bangladesh are flooded with new orders. However, inadequate gas supply is a major bottleneck, leading to local millers lagging behind China in offering competitive prices and fabric designs.
