Bangladeshi garment smartens British schoolchildren
How smart do the British schoolchildren look in their school uniforms of shirt, tie, blazer and trousers or skirt? Very, indeed. And part of the schoolwear -- would you believe? -- is made in Bangladesh.
Gooryong Fashion, a Gazipur-based garment maker, is one such vendor. The company has been supplying shirts -- in the region of 1.8 million pieces -- since 1996 to John Lewis and True Tex, the two main uniform service providers in the UK.
“The western buyers of school uniforms are coming to Bangladesh with more orders as China has become dearer for them,” said Delwar Hossain, chairman of Gooryong Fashion, adding that superior quality and timely shipment being the other two factors drawing in the buyers.
This year, the company supplied $12 million worth of schoolwear items to the UK and US, while the figure last year was around $8 million.
The fabrics for the uniforms are imported, mainly from China. The designs are provided by the buyers, which factory workers replicate to a T, said a proud Hossain.
The company that employs 2,000 works hopes to export upwards of $50 million worth of garments next year.
It took off in the schoolwear business when an US buyer placed an order for 10,000 pieces in 1996. It delivered -- in a major way. And there has been no looking back since.