April 2024

Fashion is at the core of our RMG industry and we are thrilled to share the Cover Story of AOB April issue which takes you through an engaging ride into the latest in the realm of menswear and womenswear trends, along with in-depth interviews with Mehruz Munir, Creative Director and CEO of Zurhem (luxury menswear and womenswear label in Bangladesh) and Raniah Dowla Ahmed, Founder and Designer of RANOW (western women’s designerwear label).

In Bangladesh, the modern consumers embody a captivating blend of tradition and innovation, with a discerning pursuit for quality, authenticity and sustainability. As their exposure to global trends expands and purchasing power rises, consumers are reshaping the fashion landscape, seamlessly blending traditional attire with contemporary flair.

Along with fashion aspects, innovative raw material is an equally significant aspect for the industry and we have tried to encompass the same under our Sustainability section discussing RMG industry’s growing thrust on alternate fabrics including the likes of bamboo blends.  Along with exports, domestic market is also growing significantly and our Retail Pulse BD column titled ‘Bangladesh homegrown brands holding ground strongly’ explores this further with key inputs from brands like Twelve Clothing, Rise, Afsana Ferdousi and so on.

With tech being the need of the hour in apparel retail industry, globally its adoption is growing at the high rate. Our Retail Right International article discusses live shopping options becoming increasingly popular especially amongst younger generations because of their emphasis on customer interaction and customisation, cheaper production costs etc.

Our Fashion Business segment this time presents a synopsis of Materials Market Report by Textile Exchange which highlights the key global market trends with an aim to aid the industry in achieving a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that come from producing fibre and raw materials by 2030.

Don’t miss out our other regular features on Fashion Raw Materials, Fashion Trends, AO Indian Brand To Watch, AO Global Brand To Watch, AO Survey and AO Color Report. From last few months, with the addition of more interesting and diversified columns, we have given a fresh approach to our magazine. I hope you are enjoying our new makeover!