A renowned Bangladeshi fashion house, O2, bids for spreading its wings on the international market to bank on its enormous success at home for over a decade. The O2 entrepreneurs came up with their vision ahead of its 13th founding anniversary, setting new goals of reaching out to more Bangladeshi people and turning the trademark international. “Our vision is to reach every corner of Bangladesh and go international as we’ve developed confidence in business. There is enormous market potential for Bangladeshi brands in many other countries, including the Indian city of Kolkata,” said Jafor Iqbal, Managing Director of O2. He feels that the enterprise, which he and his brother Asif Iqbal started in 2003, has grown beyond their expectations, thanks to their offers of unique and trendy designs, engagement with people and ethical business practices. With a brand name which symbolically means oxygen as essential gas for living, O2 made a humble start -with only two employees for a showroom of 250 square feet in Gulshan–on April 14, 2003. Today, more than 200 people directly work for it and another 150 are employed indirectly for supplies to the fashion house. It has in operation six outlets in Dhaka and four more outside – two in Chittagong, one in Khulna and one in Gopalganj. “People love our products because we are a bit different. We believe O2 epitomises design, class and style in an affordable and trendy style,” says Jafor Iqbal. “Our success shows that we have something different to offer to fashion-conscious people at home and abroad.’ The ranges of O2 products for men include long punjabees, sherwani, ethnic vests, pants, shirts, blazers, sandals, tees and polo shirts. Its collection for women includes saris, fatuas, single kamiz, long kamiz, blazers and lahenga.
