August 3, 2020 (MLN): The CEO of Azgard- 9, Mr Ahmed Shaikh, shared his views on the outlook of Pakistan’s denim exports amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, Azgard- 9 has launched Shield, an innovative line of protective fabrics i.e. Virus Protection Denim that protects from Viruses like Coronavirus and Bacteria.
Businesses all over the globe seek ways of introducing new products to international markets. Faster new product development opens new arenas for businesses to secure increased export involvement. Talking about Azgard’s new product line to Mettis Global News, Mr. Shaikh said that there is a possibility that the innovative Shield Protective Denim Line could boost export orders for denim.
All over the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the supply-chain spigot. Due to this, US denim imports witnessed much decline from China. However, Bangladesh and Vietnam posted major gains with their denim shipments to the US. Pakistan is also one of the suppliers in these testing times which posted small gains.
It may be worth highlighting that many US and European brands canceled orders as the virus slows retail business around the globe.
Sharing his two cents on cancellation of China’s denim shipments to the US, Mr. Ahmed Shaikh commented: ‘Due to the American shift away from China, Pakistan is likely to get denim orders. However, this will be a slow process. Secondly, not all apparel denim orders will come to Pakistan. They will be divided among Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan and several other countries. But the bottom line is that Pakistan will get some benefit.’
These comments and observations provide insights to businesses to formulate and implement policies in order to capture big market share, gaining competitiveness in denim exports.
