Most people consider fashion as something relating to styles of clothing, and more or less as tool for consumerism to take firm foothold. In reality, fashion has a much broader meaning; it expresses one’s culture and identity—just to say the least.
The fashion sector’s contribution to industrialized economies has become very significant. The industry has also been ascribable for the creation of famous designers that introduced top brands to the world of fashion.
To mention but a few, Gucci, a globally known brand discovered in 1921 in Florence, Italy, by Guccio Gucci.Calvin Klein has also dominated the fashion world as a top brand for over 75 years. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana take fashion to an unprecedented social function by using design to express women empowerment.
They provided glamorous and amazing dressing particularly to the women. Countries like ours, can serve as origin of diverse design which could further revolutionize the fashion industry. It is a stark reality to observe people of various socioeconomic backgrounds adorned with cultural costumes of assorted kinds.
Even within the same linguistic and cultural boundary, dress codes which leave spectators’ jaws dropped are not uncommon. Nowadays, however, local designers have enticed the appetite of the youth population with their traditional clothes. “Let alone the common man, even graduating students prefer to dress up with contemporary traditional clothes,” Teklemariyam Tesfu, manager of a textile company told this writer.
Technological adaptation championed with the advent of various textile companies to the country is ascribable to the improvement of the industry here, he added. Previously local companies used to emulate experiences by traveling to Bangladesh and China but currently there are ample companies here that could share their wealth of experiences, according to him.
Some 20 years ago, people here used to appreciate exotic design and textile but the case has now been reversed today, said Sara Mohamed, Designer as well as founder of a Fashion and Design College. “We design hand-woven cultural dress and supply to the market. Also, we export our products to markets in the EU and USA,” she told the writer. To her, the changes become possible as a result of the raising societal awareness towards local products. Hence, local designers have adequate market to their products, she noted.
Antonio Fiorente, a Photographer, is of the same opinion with Sara. To him, some two decades ago, he found it hard to take photos of models adorned with fashionable traditional designs. The opening of fashion and design schools seems to have contributed for the reversal of this reality, he stressed.
Though we can’t say it has reached the zenith of design, the current status is much appreciable, according to him. The Growth and Transformation Plan II sates that the Textile and Garment Industry’s production capacity, productivity, quality and competitiveness of the textile and garment sub-sector would be enhanced over the period.
To attain this, it indicates that the country will attract more quality investments, ensure sustainable and reliable input supply, forge strong input and market linkages, increase the export performance significantly, and strengthen its role in job creation and structural changes. And the export earnings from the sub-sector which stood at 98.9 million USD during the base year, 2014/15 would be elevated to 779 million USD by the end of the plan period—i.e., 2019/20.
The fashion sector’s current performance is, therefore, encouraging. Local production companies are attempting to meet the domestic demand while penetrating the international market. Still, a lot more is ahead of investors that engaged in the sector and relevant government bodies as well.
Herald December 28/2018
BY BETHLEHEM ASFAW
