Professional Practice of Fashion Merchandising in RMG Sector of Bangladesh
Rehana Sultana Department of Fashion Design and Technology Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology (SMUCT) E-mail: rehanasultana73@yahoo.com Abstract: The Fashion Merchandiser career has recently emerged among the youths of our country. A career in Fashion Merchandising not only involves to the creative flair it also a lots of prospectus & very special achievement for our country. In fashion merchandising the major functional areas in the industry are designing garments, merchandising and finally marketing of the various styles and products. Bangladesh has recently come to the focus. Bangladesh’s largest sector garments/textiles are recently looking for Fashion merchandiser and highly skilled technical personnel. The paper contains the analysis of profession of fashion merchandising in RMG sector and its future. Keywords: Fashion merchandising, fashion industry, responsibility of job, Profession 1. Introduction: The “Fashion merchandiser” profession has recently emerged as one of the most sorts out careers among the fashion designer. Fashion merchandising is the combination of the processes that a new fashion item must go through to be available in mass quantities to the consumer after it is left the hands of the designer [1]. The major functional areas of a fashion merchandiser in garments industry of Bangladesh are dressing garments, cutting the cloth, sewing the pieces together and finally merchandising popularizing and marketing of the various style and products done through ramp show and fashion write-ups.  |
| Fashion merchandiser |
2. Objective and Methodology: The objective of the article is to get idea of Fashion Merchandising as a profession in RMG sector of Bangladesh, its present status and upcoming future. The article is basically based on qualitative method. This paper focused the facts and information already available and analyzed these to make an easy evaluation. Information of this study has been collected from reports of fashion industry, garment industry, reports of buying houses of Bangladesh.
3. Nature of Work of Fashion Merchandiser in RMG sector of Bangladesh:
The international trade of textiles is highly competitive. Skill, design and quality are essential. But, equally important is the need to assess national and international demands and integrate them into the production process. There is no doubt that very few of the Bangladeshi designers know the international markets. There is a unison cry in Bangladesh saying that they need help from foreign designers to make their products marketable internationally [2]. Fashion merchandisers purchase materials required for production, price the finished garments and liaise between the production line and the marketing of finished garments. The job involves an understanding of market demand and coordination of the production process. They are to a large extent responsible for setting fashion trends or perhaps analyzing trends. For example, Square fashion Limited have two departments for fashion merchandiser. One is Research & Development (R&D), other is Product Development (P.D) department. The nature of work of R&D fashion Merchandisers along with fashion designers develops a product according to fashion season, trend, and buyer’s nature. Fashion Merchandisers give buyers samples for their opinion and advice. On approval, costs are negotiated. Modifications to the sample may be suggested. P.D (Product Development) department carried out the order according to demand of buyer. Proper materials supply, (Raw materials are procured by the fashion merchandiser), quality check, and finally the production process is monitored. Visual merchandisers are engaged as managers for shop floor/window decorations. Window display has become an impressive marketing strategy. A person is deployed for making the display very impressionable. Visual merchandising is display of items in stores, including signage and marketing materials. Visual merchandising is important because sales can be negatively affected if items are not displayed correctly. Right now Professionally Visual Merchandising not establish in our country. 4. Data collection: To full fill the objective of the article writer collect data by surveying in different garments industry buying house, like square fashion Ltd, Beximco fashion Ltd, sterling style Ltd etc. Writer make questioner & send it to the right person to collect proper information of status of fashion merchandiser, and what is present and future stability of this post. 5. Data Presentation Table No 1.what is the Job responsibility of a Fashion Merchandiser?  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 1 Job responsibility of a Fashion Merchandiser |
Table No.2.Fashion merchandiser of Bangladesh Create design for production  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 2 Fashion merchandiser of Bangladesh Create design for production |
Table No.3.Involvement in product development process as a Fashion merchandiser  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 3 Involvement in product development |
Table No. 4. Involvement in Garments Manufacturing process as a Fashion merchandiser  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 4 Involvement in Garments Manufacturing process |
Table No. 5. Communication with buyers  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 5 Communication with buyers |
Table No.6. Carrier of Fashion Merchandiser  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 6 Post a Fashion Merchandiser |
Table No.7.Fashion merchandising available in RMG Sector  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 7 Availability of Fashion merchandising |
Table No.8.future of a Fashion Merchandising in Bangladesh  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 8. Future of a Fashion Merchandising in Bangladesh |
Table No.9. Capability of a Designer to be a Fashion Merchandiser  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 9. Capability of Designer to be a Fashion Merchandiser |
Table No 10.Capability of a Merchandiser to be a Fashion Merchandiser  |
| N.B: Number of sample 10 person |
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| Fig: 10 Capability of fashion merchandiser to be a Fashion Merchandiser |
6. Results and Discussion The job of a fashion Merchandising is a high profile one and exciting indeed. But another aspect of this profession is a lot of hard work that is needed to be able to reach the top of this line and stay there. If we analyze the Professional practice of a fashion merchandiser, we found the job responsibility of a fashion merchandiser in our garments sector, mainly develop the design. Fashion merchandiser work in Research Development department of fashion studio of RMG sector. Professionally Fashion merchandisers are involved in product development department (P.D.D). They also directly involve in Garments manufacturing process. Smart and professional fashion merchandiser must have good communication skill. In the case of communication 90% merchandiser directly communicate with buyer. Another important issue is that, a fashion merchandiser obviously has the design base sound academic qualification, because a designer has the proper knowledge of fashion season, trend, and fashion forecast etc. A Fashion merchandiser always update on fashion report. So a fashion merchandiser has the capability to be fashion merchandiser. To analyze the career path of fashion merchandiser, it shown on the report in starting stage one can be a junior fashion merchandiser, after that senior fashion merchandiser, finally they become manager or director of an organization. To analyze the primary and secondary data, it is easily mention that the fashion merchandiser of Bangladesh has very bright future. They can achieve very successful professional goal. 7. Conclusion: Fashion merchandising is an integral part of the fashion industry because this dictates how the retail fashion sector of the industry moves. A fashion merchandiser will be the one to take on the responsibility of conceptualizing strategies on how best to sell clothes, what kind of clothes to buy, where to place them strategically to attract customers, research on the market trending, and even visualize the retail display to lure people into going inside the store and checking out the merchandise.[4]. To be a fashion Merchandiser at first need field related education & knowledge. This is a competitive field. Merchandising and the fashion world attract many more qualified applicants than there are jobs to give. So create sufficient job opportunity in this field. Experience is essential in the fashion industry. Get Experience renowned related organization and achieve the success in professional field. As with most professions, very successful and experienced fashion merchandisers of RMG sector also achieve success for Bangladesh. 8. References: - Jessica Hobby, (24 December 2013), Definition of merchandising, Conjecture Corporation, USA.
- Md. Evan Shahriar, (2010) Bangladesh’s Fashion Design in International Market Constraints and Prospects.
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