Bags back in style

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=133418

Bags back in style

Photo: Rashed Shumon Sayeda Akter

Sayeda Akter

Going out of home without a bag in a busy corporate world gives a feeling that something is missing. So demand for bags is on the rise.

Bags have been accompanying men and women for no less than 5,000 years — design, size and making materials being changed.

The use of bags started going up soon after the country’s corporate sector took a leap. Also the youth are carrying a lot.

Industry people estimate the overall market size of bags, including wallets and purses, at around Tk 100 crore, of which almost half are imported mainly from China, Thailand and Singapore.

Around 10 lakh pieces of bags, both local and imported, are being sold every year, they said.

Different types of bags are on the market — clutch, satchel, tote bag, messenger bag and duffle bag.

Tamara Abed, director of Aarong, one of the leading bag makers, said they have been producing bags for the last 30 years.

“When we first launched our bags’ collection, we tried to use local materials such as leather, cloths, jute, bamboo and cane,” she said.

Prices of Aarong bags for men and women range from Tk 150 to Tk 4,500.

Mehfuz Alam, brand manager of Bata Bangladesh, said the company launched its bag collection in 2002.

“Our main target groups are middle- and higher-middle income people,” he said, adding that the company sold more than 20,000 pieces of bags in 2009.

He also said the company is working to make low-cost bags.

Apart from branded items, locally made high quality bags log good sales at New Market and Bashundhara City.

Pipul Islam, manager of Ruayet Enterprise at New Market, said the demand for local bags are increasing fast mainly among men.

“We sell bags for men, women and children, but women like imported bags,” he said, adding that the demand for laptop bags is on the rise.

He said local makers often lack technical know-how and also high-quality design that increase the demand for imported products.

Islam sold around 35,000 bags of Tk 350-Tk 6,000 each in 2009.

Local manufacture of high quality leather bags and purses increased mainly from October 2008 when the demand for finished leather dropped on the international market due to global recession.

Many manufacturers and exporters opted for value-added products, including footwear, leather bags and purses, for both local and international markets to minimise losses.

The exporters earned $7.26 million from leather bags and purses in the July-December period of fiscal 2009-10, while the total earning was $16.89 million in FY 2008-09 and $8.87 million in 2007-08.

Sultanul Arefin, managing director of Global Trade Concern, a manufacturer and exporter, said around 60 companies are producing leather bags and purses, of which 35 are export-oriented.

“We make leather bags mainly for export, but we also sell in the local market,” he said. “We sell low-cost items in the local market.”

He said his company plans to introduce new materials and textiles such as waterproof canvas, synthetics and artificial reptile skin to make bags.

However, the industry people demanded government support to safeguard the local manufacturers.

Alam of Bata said the government should lower import duty on materials such as cloths and zipper to help make high-quality products.

He also stressed developing new designs to attract young customers.

sayeda@thedailystar.net