British clothing industry exploits Bangladesh

When it comes to low wages, poor working conditions and horror stories of human rights in the manufacturing sector, the finger usually points to places such as china. The BBC have revealed that Britain is potentially no better, with textile workers in Bangladesh getting paid five pence an hour to make cheap clothes for our home-grown companies Tesco, Asda and Primark. A report stated that female workers are exploited to work 80 hours weeks in appalling conditions, nicknamed "potential death trap" factories, according to anti-poverty group War On Want. Tesco, Asda and Primark all strongly denied the allegations.

War On Want based its report on interviews with 60 workers from six Bangladeshi garment factories. It said that starting wages at the factories were as little as £8 a month, barely one third of the living wage in Bangladesh. War On Want added that wages rose to £16 per month for better-paid sewing machine operators, but that some workers spent up to 96 hours per week in the factories without even a day a week off

The report noted that Primark, Tesco and Asda had all agreed to adhere to ethical treatment of workers under adequate conditions, but some of their suppliers were "regularly violating" such rules. "Bargain retailers such as Primark, Asda and Tesco are only able to sell low prices in the UK because women workers in Bangladesh are being exploited," said War on Want chief executive Louise Richards. “The companies are not even living up to their own commitments towards their overseas suppliers."

According to the BBC, a Tesco spokesman said workers at all its Bangladeshi suppliers were paid above the national minimum wage. "Tesco offers affordable clothing to UK customers - including many low-income families - but this is not achieved through poor working conditions in our suppliers' factories," he said. Primark said its low prices were the result of good technology, efficient distribution, bulk buying and minimal advertising. "As members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we are fully committed to the campaign to improve working standards in Bangladesh," said a spokesman. Asda said it conducted 13,000 factory audits worldwide to ensure workers were not being exploited. The investigation continues.

www.waronwant.org
8 December 2006

Dunhill debuts in India

English luxury menswear brand Dunhill will make its debut in India through a deal with local fashion company Brand House Retail. According to terms of the agreement, Dunhill will open two stores in Delhi and Mumbai this year. Next year will see the opening of stores in other major Indian cities. “The experience and know-how of SKNL (Brand House’s parent company) in textiles, retailing and the market place makes them a natural fit with Alfred Dunhill and creates a solid platform on which to build a strong and prosperous business in Inida,” Tarun Joshi, chief executive of Brand House, told ET. The stores will all be designed in the Alfred Dunhill mould and will carry the full range of products.

According to ET, increasing incomes and exposure to international lifestyle through travel and media has created a desire for luxury brands in India. Recent research-based estimates have shown that there are over 1.6 million Indians who earn over $100,000 a year. This market is expected to grow and most luxury brands are recognizing its increasing importance. Companies like Louis Vuitton, Moschino, Cavalli, Ermenegildo Zegna and Dolce e Gabbbana are among those that have entered that market.

www.dunhill.com
17 August 2006

Indian officials infuriated by nudity

During last week's Indian Fashion Week, officials were angered by two separate cases of accidental nudity. They have threatened to penalize the organizers of the event in the event they find out that the “wardrobe malfunctions” were in fact intentional. During the show two models revealed a breast and an exposed posterior, respectively, which had photographers snapping away.

“If we find that these acts were not accidental, then we will take action against the fashion show organisers,” said deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, RR Patil. Recently, Mumbai's politicians have blasted the city with a morality campaign which meant banning nudity in many shapes and forms. All the city's dance bars were closed as a result and nudity on the catwalk is not done.

However, designers have played down the incident. “We don't want everyone to be veiled,” designer Narendra Kumar told The Indian Express. “We are lucky to live in a free country. (What happened to the models was) clearly a mistake.”

Tumi turns to India

Luxury luggage brand Tumi will be entering the Indian market this year. The Murjani Group plans to open 10 freestanding Tumi stores in India by 2010, with the first store opening planned for later this year either in Delhi or Mumbai. “The first brand we (launched) in India was Tommy Hilfiger in 2004,” Murjani Group chairman Mohan Morjani told WWD. The group also launched other brands like Gloria Vanderbilt in India .

The brand has experienced a strong international expansion in the past few years. Last year the New Jersey-based company opened stores in Frankfurt and Tokyo and in Houston , New York and Hawaii . It plans to open 10 European and Asian stores this year, including Athens , Berlin , Rome , Barcelona , Moscow and Amsterdam . It also plans to open 10 stores in the US this year. The brand has 56 stores worldwide.

“We're quite serious about international diversification,” Tumi chief executive Laurence Franklin told WWD, pointing out that two-thirds of the brand's business is generated outside the US . “Our focus has been on markets that can appreciate a premium brand and also have an understanding and appreciation of design and quality. The Indian marketplace will become an important marketplace.”

www.tumi.com
10 March 2006

India number 2 on sourcing list

India is second on the list of the most preferred alternative to China as a sourcing destination for retailers and clothing companies, a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and KSA Technopak has shown.

Since the quota abolishment, India has grown to become a high-quality textile sourcing country. Its advantages include the availability of raw material, spinning, weaving and garmenting capabilities, low costs and a complete array of textile and apparel. According to the study, its weaknesses, however, are areas like transportation, IT infrastructure, labour laws, infrastructure and a grasp of international market demand.

27 October 2005

No model life for Elizabeth Hurley in India

Elizabeth Hurley is reportedly finding it difficult adjusting to life in India, the home country of boyfriend Arun Nayar. She gets ever-so-sick every time she travels to Bombay because of allergies to the food and the water that leave her bed-bound for five days or more.

Whenever Hurley feels the least bit energetic, she is taking Hindu lessons, the mother tongue of Nayar. Let's just hope he appreciates it.

8 June 2005

Indian Fashion Week

The first woman to head up the Fashion Design Council of India, Rathi Vinay Jay, has big plans for India's fashion industry.

Jay revealed that more fashion-related events were going to be organized and that there would be a concerted effort to expand training and education possibilities. She also admitted that there were plans to hold a biannual Fashion Week along the lines of the international fashion weeks in New York, London, Paris and Milan. However, she indicated that this would depend on "how organized we are".

The Indian fashion industry is currently worth $2 billion and Jay foresees great things for it.

21 December 2004

Indian textile growth

India's highly respected clothing trade analyst, Jal Arani, has reported that India may beat China to the punch as leader in the global textile market.

In a report for the Indian research and broking house, ICICI Securities, Irani reported that Indian textile companies are on the brink of an enormous growth spurt, thanks to the dismantling of 84% of the global export quota from January 2005, and a considerable leverage of resources and freeing up of opportunities.

Irani predicted that India's share in the global textile trade is bound to grow the fastest, as its current quota is among one of the lowest. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is set to source up to US$ 10 billion (GBP 5.5 billion) worth of good per year from India. According to Irani, this will cause Indian textile exports to climb to US$50 billion a year by 2010.

The report carries a very optimistic tone in reviewing the developments of the Indian textile market. It is extremely positive about the Indian government's endeavour to restructure debt, which will bring down borrowing costs. Meanwhile, improved infrastructure and logistics will bring about a reduction in delivery time by professional management. In addition, increased inflexibility of labour is improving productivity.

Furthermore, the report revealed that the textile industry's switch to the newly discovered naptha natural gas will cut power costs in half.

1 December 2004

UK retailer sources India

UK retailer Littlewoods is going to increase its soucing of products form India for 2005. The products will include apparel, household textiles and footwear. To this end, Littlewoods has embarked on a joint venture with Indus Impex, a company form Bangalore, to manage the sourcing.

24 November 2004