The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has called on the country's apparel exporters to focus more on value-added, high-end apparel items as their demand is high in the global market.

"The demand for man-made fibre (MMF)-based garment items is on the rise in the global market. So it is high time we shifted our focus to non-cotton-based textile and apparel to realign our product mix in line with global sourcing trends," BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said Thursday.

"Globally the share of cotton textile and clothing consumption is 25 percent only, whereas 75 percent of Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) product is concentrated within cotton items," he added.

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"The growing eco-consciousness and care for sustainability are driving consumers towards non-cotton, especially manmade fibres. So we have to keep ourselves aligned with the market demand."

"It is good to see that our garment factories are increasingly opting for high-end and value-added products. More and more factories should move in this direction to seize the opportunities in the global market," the BGMEA chief said.

He made the observations while visiting 4A Yarn Dyeing in Savar.

Abdullah Hil Rakib, managing director of 4A Yarn Dyeing and also a director of the BGMEA, was present.

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High-end apparel items like padded jacket, quilted jacket, seam-sealed jacket, down jacket, bomber jacket, ski-wear, jogging suit, rainwear, gilet, leather jacket, workwear, technical apparels are produced and exported by 4A Yarn Dyeing.

The factory is equipped with modern and sophisticated automatic machinery and has a design studio for product innovation and development.