Cheap clothes on city footpaths thrive on low-cost labour chain

Streets and footpaths have become a major source of cheap clothing for low-income people across the city, while high affordability is largely driven by underpaid labour in the manufacturing supply chain, insiders say.
Footpaths in different parts of the capital, especially in Gulistan, Paltan, New Market, Gauchia, and Chandni Chawk, are bustling with shoppers looking for budget-friendly items such as shirts, pants, salwar-kameez, three-piece suits, punjabis, pajamas, T-shirts, socks and caps.

These street markets provide impoverished people with an opportunity to shop for Eid or other occasions as the prices are much lower than those at shopping malls or traditional shops at different markets.
During visits to street shops in different parts of the city ranging from Mirpur 10 circle to Mirpur 2 and White Water Tank popularly known as 'Hope Market', as well as Mirpur 11, New Market, Paltan and Gulistan, the FE correspondent found people buying a wide variety of clothing items.
Shahida Begum, a housewife and mother of three, was recently seen buying clothing items at a street shop in Mirpur 10. She often visits Mirpur footpaths to purchase clothes for herself and her children and sometimes household items like curtains, bed sheets and cushion covers.
Talking to the FE, Shahida, who is in her thirties, said she purchases clothes for her kids from local branded shops on some occasions but they are expensive.
Many branded products are similar to the items sold on footpaths, she said, adding that for middle-class buyers, New Market and Hope Market are some of the best places to shop as not everyone can afford expensive items.
Tabassum Sultana, a college student, was looking for ladies kurta/single piece and tops at a shop near Mirpur Ideal School and College.
Prices at shopping malls are much higher, she said, adding that one can still find quality items on street shops.
At the secretariat metro station in Paltan, a vendor like other street sellers, was calling out to attract the attention of customers.
Both shoppers told the FE that the reason for shopping on streets or footpaths is the price.
In many cases, garments produced locally are sold for Tk 800 and above in large stores, which can be bought in between Tk 300 and Tk 500 on footpaths, they noted.
Vendors usually buy garment items from Keraniganj, Islampur, and Babu Bazar at wholesale rates.
Some of them sell export-quality garments, especially denim pants, women's and babies' tops, which are stocklot items-exportable goods rejected by buyers due to issues with quality, color, sizing, or other reasons.
Insiders said those garments are locally produced using raw materials from domestic markets.
A visit to Mirpur 10 Jhut Palli revealed that some of the shops that sell fabrics has their own garment factories in Narayanganj and Keraniganj.
Khan Knitwear on Paris road in Mirpur 10 is one such fabric seller that has a factory in Narayanganj.
Abul Hossain, General Secretary of Mirpur Katakapor Baboshayi Samabay Samity, said that yarn, fabrics and other accessories are supplied to different areas, mostly Narayanganj and Keraniganj, where garments are produced and sold across the country for local consumption.
On May 23, the FE correspondent visited Keraniganj, which has become a garment manufacturing hub for local markets over the years.
Many wholesale and retail shops here have their own manufacturing garment factory located in the same buildings.
According to Keraniganj Garments Babosayee and Dokan Malik Samabai Samity Ltd that was established in 1989, Keraniganj is home to more than 5,000 garment factories, and 10,000 shops.
At present, more than 0.3 million workers, including 50,000 women, are employed in these factories and shops of Keraniganj.
The apparel hub produces denim trousers, other pants, punjabis, kids' items which meet around 80 per cent of the demand for such products in the local market, according to the Samity.
Most of the markets in this area are five or six-storied buildings having wholesale outlets of garments at the ground, first and second floors while the upper floors are rented out to factories and warehouses.
Talking to the FE, HM Omar Faruque, executive member of the Samity, said garment items produced here are mostly sold on footpaths at a very cheap rate.
"Labour cost is cheap here in Bangladesh," he added.
Mr Faruque, owner of Millennium Garments in Keraniganj, produces pants employing 14 workers, including two women. Monir Hossain, owner of Venus Point, also produces trousers and pants at his own factory.
They, however, claim that their business is dull ahead of Eid-ul-Azha for a number of reasons, including high prices of electricity, diesel, and petrol fuelled by Middle East war and a change in the political regime.
Munni_fe@yahoo.com