KARACHI: Pakistan’s Rajco Industries has received an order from Hugo Boss to make t-shirts for the German national soccer team in what is the luxury fashion brand’s first order with a Pakistani sportswear manufacturer, Rajco’s chief executive officer said on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s adviser on commerce Abdul Razak Dawood announced the Hugo Boss deal in a Twitter post, but did not reveal the name of the Pakistani company that had booked the order.
The logo of German fashion house Hugo Boss is seen on a clothing label at their outlet store in Mezingen near Stuttgart, Germany, on October 29, 2013. (REUTERS)
“We have received the order for supply of sport shirts for their [German] football team,” Ijaz Ahmed Bhatti, the chief executive of Sialkot-based Rajco Industries, told Arab News, saying he was confident Rajco could deliver the shipment by August. He did not share details of the production value or volume of the order.
Bhatti, whose company already produces sports garments for Fila, Kariban, Kappa, UHL Sports and other international brands, said he was hopeful this was the beginning of a lasting relationship with Hugo Boss, one of the official sponsors of the German football team.
The deal with Hugo Boss is the result of efforts by the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), commerce minister Dawood has said. The association hosted the International Apparel Federation’s (IAF) 35th World Fashion Convention in Lahore last year, in collaboration with Dutch industry association Modint. Hugo Boss officials attended the event as chief guests.
“During physical interaction with the Pakistani [sportswear manufacturing] players, they [Hugo Boss] came to know that the knowledge base of our industry is sound,” PRGMEA chief coordinator Ijaz Khokhar, who is also the regional president of IAF, told Arab News.
Speaking about Pakistan’s attraction for the German fashion house, Khokhar said Hugo Boss, like other European groups, wanted to reduce its reliance on China, particularly because of the coronavirus pandemic, which had started in China’s Wuhan city.
“They are moving out of China apparently for two reason. The first is COVID-19 and they want to ensure alternate sources of supplies,” Khokhar said. “The second is that China is becoming expensive and our [Pakistani] labor is relatively cheaper.”
Pakistan’s total exports declined by 6.83% in fiscal year 2019-20, according to commerce ministry figures.
