The “Bangladesh Denim Expo” starts tomorrow (Monday) at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the capital, aiming to showcase Bangladesh’s growth potential in the denim industry globally, reports UNB. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed will inaugurate the exposition as the chief guest on Monday while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will be the chief guest at its conclusion on Tuesday evening. The main objective of the expo will be not just to promote denim trade in Bangladesh, but also to encourage better business practices that can help raise the living standards of the people of the country, said Chief Initiator of the expo and Managing Director of Denim Expert Ltd, Mostafiz Uddin. “Our primary purpose is to create a platform for denim stakeholders and to make Bangladesh a one-stop sourcing platform for the denim industry, which would benefit those working in the industry set up,” he said. Surplus funds from the expo will be donated to a seed fund for establishing a Denim University in Bangladesh. Twenty-five exclusive denim and jeans-related manufacturers and enterprises from the USA, Spain, Japan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, China, San Marino and host Bangladesh will take part in the exposition. Besides, the organisers are expecting good turnout of apparel entrepreneurs, businessmen, fashion professionals and stakeholders of the industry from Europe, USA, and the UK during the expo. A total of four seminars including a special one titled “Made in Bangladesh a new Reality- Vision 2021”, jointly organized with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Denim Expo will be held on the sidelines of the exposition. According to the industry insiders, Bangladesh is the second-largest denim exporter to European markets, and third in the US market. Around 400 factories are exporting nearly 180 million pieces of denim jeans to the world. Bangladesh presently has 25 denim-producing factories with total investment of over $834 million. The next expo is scheduled for next Novermber, according to organisers.
