Investigating the Potential to Incorporate Bangladeshi Textile Crafts into a Global Supply Chain

The purpose of this study is to explore craft textile production in Bangladesh and the implications for its incorporation into the international supply chain. International trade brings revenue to governments in the form of foreign exchange; craft offers a comparative advantage as it potentially embodies the culture and heritage of the land of origin thereby imbuing it with uniqueness. Craft textiles which currently survive in remote village areas struggle to compete in the global market as there are no strong networks to reach international market. Internationalisation of these Bangladeshi craft textile is essential not only to keep the local heritage alive but also to secure finance of rural poor people especially women. In order to understand the contexts of the Bangladeshi textile crafts, key issues of the global supply chain such as buyers and manufacturers, networking and communication, design strategy and preservation of traditional designs, quality, price, and lead time were identified from the literature reviewed. The central notions of the research are that (i) exports of craft textiles are of significant value to developing economies such as Bangladesh, (ii) craft production is an accessible business requiring little initial investment for technology and generates revenue for local and this is especially important for women as they are a high proportion of workforce in the craft sector and (iii) the low initial investments lead to much production taking place at home raising issues of inequalities of age, gender, income and opportunities.

The research took a qualitative approach to interview members of a conceptual supply chain in Bangladesh that may play a role in developing an international market for the traditional textiles. The members were: textile craft manufacturer, a senior officer in the export department of textile craft manufacturer and retailer, a merchandising manager in a textile sourcing house in Bangladesh, a mainstream apparel buyer in UK, employee of a craft retailer in UK and a researcher, and teacher of textiles of Bangladesh.

From the research conducted, it was found that the Bangladeshi craft industry needs to focus in three major areas: Marketing and promotion of the products to international market, introduction and communication with potential buyers, and enriching market knowledge. From the interviews conducted it is appeared that other issues associated with exporting textile crafts in a position to be improved with proper planning and practical implementation. Finally a structure of an integrated supply chain was proposed, however this may have limited applicability to companies at different stages of export market development.