THE STRUGGLE OF HANDMADE PRODUCT MAKERS

Mahabub Alam, Wardaah Wahid Sabah and Anarkoly Sultana

Mrs. Lucky an Entrepreneur and a Fashion Designer is struggling to sell her own designed product at a fair held in WVA,  Dhanmondi Road 27. 

Mrs. Lucky sitting by her stall; Photo: Anarkoly Sultana

Mrs. Lucky came from Savar, she not only sells but also designs dresses. “Bangladesh does manufacture good fabrics and our garments products and handicrafts has good reputation and demand abroad, but people of our own country don’t want to buy local products just because it has a tag attached which says  ‘Made in Bangladesh’. Customers prefer to buy foreign products even if those products are of bad quality. I can’t mention my own designed products to customers; they ignore the product as soon as I mention its Bangladeshi or my own design. However, when I lie saying that the products are from India, it instantly grabs their attention and they actually like it and buy it. There are very people who come in search for Bangladeshi items” said Mrs. Lucky. 

Mr. Harun Miah with his product; Photo: Mahabub Alam

Mr. Harun Miah a handicraft maker and a stall owner at the fair said, ‘’ I came to attend this event to earn some more money in less time. Many organizers call me and ask me to join fairs in Dhaka as there are lots of demands for tribal (pahari) products. I sell lungi, purse, bag, gamcha, shawl and all these products are my own made products except for few shawl. 

I earn enough to run my family. My wife also helps me with making these items and 

I have appointed two labors to help me speed up my production”. According to Mr. Harun the sale is at peak during tourist season otherwise he needs to attend fairs for quick money in short time as I sell it at higher price than usual”. Besides clothes and bags, he also had Burmese pickles and beauty products made of sandal woods which seemed to be pretty much in demand.

It was a very discreet event with limited publicity, they were not allowed to advertise much or use lightings to grab people’s attention, yet people, especially ladies went there in search of Indian and Pakistani clothes mostly. In this event they mainly wanted to promoted craftspeople from all round Bangladesh who sells all types of handmade products besides that they had few foreign products for sale profit. 

Edited by

Mahabub Alam and Wardaah Wahid