Ralph Lauren, one of the world’s largest fashion brands, has resumed sourcing from Bangladesh with reopening its office here in Dhaka.
The US giant stopped sourcing garment items from Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers.
The company opened its office few months back while it announced ‘Ralph Lauren Bangladesh Sourcing’ formally at a ceremony in the city on 17 November in the presence of BGMEA President Rubana Huq who welcomed the brand back in Bangladesh.
The company imports products worth US$ 7.0 billion from across the globe. It decides to resume its operation in Bangladesh after substantial progress being made to improve workplace safety in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) industry.
Appreciating the company’s re-launching, Rubana Huq said that it was great to have them back at a time when the BGMEA focuses on improving infrastructure and environmental protection.
Though the company might not import huge quantity from Bangladesh, the impact would be huge as it is a big brand, industry insiders acknowledged. They also hoped that resuming operation in Bangladesh would also help branding the image of the country and the industry.
It is expected that being the high-end brand, it would offer good price for locally made apparel items.
Ralph Lauren is well known for the clothing, marketing and distribution of products in four categories (apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances), and manufactures products ranging from the mid-range to the luxury segments.
Its brands included the mid-range Chaps brand, to the sub-premium Lauren Ralph Lauren brand, to the premium Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Children’s wear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, and Club Monaco brands, up to the full luxury Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection brands.
