A wide range of fatua is being introduced to the young aged group which represents their youthfulness and easygoing attitude traditionally. These fatuas can be mixed and matched with trousers, skirts and scarves. Besides boutiques are now bringing poncho into the light. For poncho khadi is the preferred cotton.

Gamchha has never been the centre of much attention amongst the average Bengali people, yet this piece of cloth finally managed to create great fashion statement for many this year especially the Gamchha sari. The flamboyant and fabulous Gamchha sari is the pick of this year. Bibi Russell was the first person to experiment with Gamchha sari.

Ask anyone about brand names in Bangladesh, and they will tell you what we have none. But the truth is that we do, and they are our very own. Fashion houses like Aarong, Rina’s, Andes, Mayasir, Kay Kraft, Artisti Collection and Cat’s Eye have set their own trends and become brand names in their own right. Some of them started out as one of the many small boutiques still running all over the city today. Many of them produce not only for a local clientele but have participated in various international fashion events. The specialty of our brand names are that they are, for the most part, truly our own. Local fabrics and local designers ensure that we are buying something distinctly different from the mass produced………many of them Indian……goods that flood our markets.

The problem with fashion in Dhaka is that once a trend is “in”…… often Indian products or their imitations ……… that’s all you get. Brand names and specialized boutiques, with their local designers, and often, local fabrics, give something different to the consumer who wants to look a little different to the customer who wants to look a little different from everyone else. Their only drawback is that most are usually on the pricey side, but for many, it’s the price along with the name tag which promises exclusivity and draws them to these outlets.

But most importantly, it’s the feel of our very own and exclusive designed, fabrics, embroidery, etc., and their increasing quality that has, happily, begun to draw the conscious, ‘cool’ customer away from foreign merchandise and towards homemade products of which they can be proud. Our designers have proved that Bangladeshi products can be trendy too, and that they are!