Designer Chinese dresses snapped up during Eid

Bangladesh's clothes markets are busy during the peak sales season of Eid-ul-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Thanks to their affordability and attractive designs, ready-made garment stores are now attracting the most customers as people are busy buying new clothes for the holidays and the stores now showcase ample collections of Chinese style products.

Fashion lovers, especially younger shoppers, are looking for such designer dresses and other Eid products.

Also women prefer Chinese clothes for the quality of the fabrics and variety of designs.

Bashundhara city, a posh shopping mall in Dhaka's commercial Karwan Bazar, has many stores that are solely selling both men's and women's clothing products exclusively from China.

The scenario is no different at relatively cheaper shopping outlets at New Market, one of the busiest markets in the capital, and its adjacent Gausia and Chandi Chalk markets, where merchandise from China can be spotted in store fronts.

Sales of festive dresses and other items for Eid have gained momentum in the markets this week, where all classes of people, particularly the middle income group, go for shopping.

Thanks to the internet, they said beautiful Chinese gowns are now easily available to young girls. They said such dresses are being sold like hot cakes.

"I came to buy this dress. I like it," says Habiba Akhtar Nupur, a collage student, who was delighted to buy a Chinese gown.

"Chinese dresses are comfortable to wear. They have lovely designs and everyone likes this type of dress."

"This time my Eid is very joyous because I can wear this delightful dress," the girl beamed, adding that the Chinese dresses are comfortable to wear in summer's blistering heat.

Nupur and many other girls were seen to flock to Bashundhara stores selling Chinese dresses, especially gowns.

With the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, shopkeepers and importers say they are extremely busy supplying such dresses at stores in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

Selina Bari has her own shop called "Street 77" at Bashundhara market and she imports products directly from China.

"My name is Selina Bari. For Eid, I mainly bring Chinese clothes that suit boys and girls aged between 12 and 18 years old," says Bari, who, for eight years, has been selling Chinese dresses in Dhaka.

Explaining the reasons for the big boom in demand for Chinese dresses and other Eid related products, she says "One good thing about the Chinese dresses is that they come in many different sizes for customers and they are fashionable."

"Our young customers are very trendy and they use the internet and look for the latest designer fashion trends in China," she says, adding that the manufacturers are quick to produce and export the latest styles.

Apart from luxury and regular dresses, stores in Dhaka have been selling jewelry items, the demand for which skyrockets during Eid.

Interestingly, Bari says Chinese businesspeople bring jewelry items that match new designer dresses to sell in Bangladesh.

"I myself personally go to China to choose which products to import," she says.