Monira Munni from Paris :

Bangladeshi fabrics and apparel manufacturers are displaying their latest products, especially fancy and value added items, at trade shows in Paris, France to lure potential buyers.

They are among 1,023 exhibitors from 27 countries, including China, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Turkey, and Korea, participating in the exhibitions namely Apparel Sourcing, Texworld Denim and Texworld Paris.

The exhibitors put on display fabrics, finished apparel items and accessories in the four-day shows that began on Sunday last, organised by Messe Frankfurt, one of the largest trade fair companies in the world.

A total of 19 out of 21 fabric and apparel makers from Bangladesh are showcasing their products under the platform of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The rest three companies could not attend the shows over visa complexities, organisers said.

The trade fair is a platform or market that helps companies and buyers across the globe bring together physically, said Michael Scherpe, president of Messe Frankfurt France.

"Bangladesh has a basic image for good price for good quality mass market. Bangladesh is a most important sourcing country today," he told the FE.
He pointed out that Bangladeshi products enjoy a vital duty-free market access in the European Union market. He said the Texworld and Apparel sourcing are very important platform for Bangladeshi companies as they are in the mind of buyers who come here.

"There are some European countries where we have potentials to explore the market having good demand," said Iftekhar Ullah Khan, chief executive officer of Kleider Sourcing Ltd, adding that they want to attract new buyers along with the existing ones through the platform.

The company that is displaying its products for the first time has already booked a spot order for 40,000 pieces of apparels from an Algerian buyer, he said, adding that the new buyers from Russia and Spain have also made inquiries.
"Paris is the hub for fashion business," said AB Siddique Sumon, chairman and managing director of PRO Group. "We're here to expose what we can manufacture in fancy and fashionable items with a wide range of varieties."
Buyers from Portugal, Peru and Brazil are communicating about value added items with low-volume, offering high prices compared to the basic ones, said Romeo N Gomes, executive director of Evince Textiles Ltd.

Texworld Paris is the hub for fashion and it offers the information about the market, trends to search for what is exactly right for the consumer, said Abdul Hakim, general manager marketing and sales at Zaber and Zubair Fabrics Ltd.
It is the lone company from Bangladesh displaying products at the elite exhibitors' hall, where only 25 companies were accommodated with highest number from Turkey, followed by Pakistan and Taiwan.