Imports dominate kids' dresses

Parents along with their children are hitting the capital's shopping centres as they look to purchase their desired outfit for Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest Muslim festival.

One such unit was Sabina Akter, who came to Mum & Little Ones on the Satmasjid Road in Dhanmondi with her husband and four-year-old daughter.

“My daughter likes fancy dresses and shoes,” said Akter.

After combing through a bunch of dresses brought in from Thailand and China, the family picked a frock with cartoon characters. 

After all, they did not have much choice but to go for an imported product as 80 percent of the market for childrenswear is dominated by foreign ones.

“Customers prefer clothes from India, China and Thailand,” said Ashfak A Hai, managing director of Mum & Little Ones, which also sells toys.

Local childrenswear are so out-of-date that they do not have any takers, he said.

But a few local brands such as Aarong and Infinity are also drawing in crowds thanks to their tasteful designs.

At noon yesterday, hundreds of shoppers could be found at the Aarong store in the capital's Bashundhara City, a shopping mall.

One of them was Zakaria Shahin, a private sector employee, who came to the store to buy shoes for his seven-year-old son.

“I always shop at Aarong as its designs and models represent our Bengali culture,” he said. Speaking to The Daily Star at the same outlet, Md Abdullah, a banker, said the quality of the products at Aarong is good. “But the price has skyrocketed.”

The lower-income people, however, rely on the makeshift shops set up on footpaths to dress their children on Eid. The shops sell mostly locally-produced clothes, according to market insiders.

Shops at New Market and Polwel Super Market also cater to shoppers belonging to the low and lower-middle income groups, said Safiul Azam, a shop owner in the capital's Uttara.