HAMS GROUP was established in 1994 and remains one of the leading vertical textile manufacturers in the country to date, with an indelible commitment – employing highly skilled textile professionals equipped with the latest machinery and providing excellent working conditions for all employees. HAMS group has four sister concern factories, including Hams Garments Ltd. Dhaka Garments & Washing Ltd. Hams Fashion Ltd Victoria Intimate Ltd. Recently Team Textile Focus visited the HAMS GROUP design studio and talked with Mr. Akib Rahman, Director of HAMS Group. Key discussion points regarding Design Studio are mentioned below-
The Necessity of a Design Studio:
Nowadays, fashion trends are moving toward fast-paced fashion. It makes our fashion industry more challenging for new and innovative design ideas. Moreover, many buyers and retailer brands are closing their own design studios to reduce costs, and they want support from us in this regard. So buyers and retailers are looking for a platform where they can work together with the suppliers for easy concept development and idea sharing.
Fashion brands are sourcing ideas and concepts from different suppliers in their collections. Sometimes, it is also challenging for suppliers to develop customer concepts into physical products. But, in this field, design departments can quickly understand buyers’ concepts and develop new and innovative products. We also plan to make a lovely design studio for valued customers to share and discuss new fashion ideas and plans. Many industries in Bangladesh have created their own design studios and are getting business benefits from them. Besides, this unique design department adds value to our company profile for the customers to choose us as a supplier. Value chain gradation has become ‘the need of time’ to survive sustainably. After production, more control and influence on the marketplace can upgrade the value chain. Developing design and product development capacity is another way to value addition in the pre-production stage.
The initial investment required for a Design Studio:
Infrastructure investment is low to launch a design studio, but we have many regular costs to maintain. Buying the latest fashion trending and virtual apparel development products abroad is the main component of such expenses. This is a standard monthly recurring cost of around BDT 400000/-. The design studio and a design and development team that we have set up cost us around BDT 5000000/-.
Products range and buyers of Hams Group?
In the Knit division, we mainly produce T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Hoody, Jogger, Tops, Dresses, Loungewear, sleepwear, Jumpsuits, Shorts, Underwear, Briefs, etc., for all departments.
In Woven Division, we produce Woven & Nonwoven Bottoms, Shirts, Overall, joggers, etc., for all departments.
Our primary customers are H&M, Next, M&S, Kmart, New Look, Urban Classic, Target, Kohl’s, Primark, Walmart, New Yorker, Petrol, Fila, C&A, etc.
Challenges for running the design studio Future plan of Design Studio:
The challenge right now we are facing is approaching the right market. More importantly, it is not easy to run a design studio because it will not give us direct or instant revenue. We are working on the product diversification concept. The success facing adopting opt effective design studio and product development is the mindset and willingness to take a risk. Because, here, we have to work with high-end products to sustain this business. There will also be many challenges in the production phase.
Shortly, customers will come to our design studio to prepare their products from our created designs and concepts, share their necessary auditions-alterations, and place the order here. Also, we plan to increase our design capabilities to provide more frequent design support to our customers.
