The second edition of the Bangladesh Fashionology Summit will be held in Dhaka on May 2, to popularize the latest technology and features of smart clothing.Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), an organisation to promote Bangladesh’s apparel sector, is organizing the summit at International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka. Mostafiz Uddin, Founder and CEO of BAE made the announcement at a press conference in the capital on Thursday. BGMEA senior vice president Faruque Hassan and newly elected BGMEA director and Managing Director of BAE, Mohiuddin Rubel were present at the conference.Since smart wear or smart clothing, is a fairly new concept to Bangladeshi apparel makers, the summit is aimed towards discussing the technology needed for the sector. It will help apparel manufacturers to learn about the latest technology, the organizers said. “Smart clothing is the product of the fourth industrial textile revolution, a sector that is expected to be an industry of around $130 billion by 2025. The current market size of smart clothing is $30 billion, said said Mostafiz Uddin.The recent increase of workers’ wages, and the enhanced cost of production, have made it inevitable for the apparel manufacturers of the country to shift focus on value added products, like smart wear, he added.“The shift from producing basic to making smart clothing items, will not be so easy, and it has to be done gradually with proper planning and preparation. The objective of Bangladesh Fashionology Summit is to facilitate the shift,” he added.The event is aligned with the government’s goal of establishing the ‘Digital Bangladesh Vision’. A total of 41 experts from 15 countries will speak at the sessions of the summit. The summit will also hold five seminars on issues like, Digitalization Of Supply Chain – To Cut Costs And Reduce Lead Time, Transparency in Global Supply Chain, Innovation for the Era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, Technology for Decent Work And Environment, and Policy Dialogue on Future Skills Development. An exclusive “Digital Tech Fashion Runway Show” will also be organized during the Summit where smart wearables, made by world’s renowned fashion tech designers, will be showcased on ramp. A Tech Innovation Zone will also be set up at the summit to display latest technologies and innovations in fashion.Exhibitors : Pivot88, Lectra, Sindabad, Pacific Associates, Earlycavehuman, Foursource Group GmbH, GoBlu, Rudholm Group, QuizRR, BRAC, SNV, SR Asia, Swiss contact, Access to Information (a2i). Collaboration Partners: H&M, C&A Sourcing, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Embassy of Denmark in Bangladesh, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Access to Information (a2i), International Apparel Federation (IAF), Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) + Higg Index, Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbei (GIZ), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, and Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Tech Innovator Zone: Trustrace, Shimmy Technologies, Infinited Fiber, Seachange Technologies, Reverse Resource, Fashion For Good.
