GOLAM
The story of Golam is one which spans two countries on two continents. It started in Noakhali in the Chittagong division of Bangladesh where I spent my childhood. This area contains many clothing factories and much of the local population work diligently in the design and manufacture of the clothes and accessories we wear today – denim shirts, denim jeans, shirts, blouses, hoodies, formal ja
ckets, handbags, etc. You name it, they can make it. Unfortunately, the rewards for their toil are barely sufficient to sustain what we, in the West, would deem an acceptable lifestyle. Fast forward to the end of my teenage years when I came to the UK with a dream of entrepreneurship and a desire to help the exploited factory workers in Bangladesh. The most startling impression I gained from my investigation of the affordable clothing being offered in the UK was the lack of quality. The better-quality materials were available but at very inflated costs. Clearly cost of manufacture was not the issue if the source of origin was Bangladesh, so I determined that to be competitive product quality had to suffer to facilitate the payments of the inevitable middlemen required to bring the product to market. Golam have no middlemen. With the contacts I have in Bangladesh, I can connect with the material suppliers directly to specify exactly what I want. My time in the UK has impressed on me the British values of quality and sustainable supply at affordable prices. To achieve this, I have created my own factory where I pay the workers a fair living wage to ensure they are rewarded accordingly for their contribution to the success of the company. In Bangladesh I witnessed their financial struggles first-hand, but at that time was unable to do much to help them. Following my arrival in the UK I have had the opportunity to gain a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and I am now able to assist. I will be able to pay fair wages and allow them a share in the profit from the business. Golam is unique in that it is run by people from Bangladesh for people of Bangladesh with the customer as the ultimate winner. Exceptional quality clothes and accessories at prices that are very affordable. With Golam clothing, not only will you get quality at an affordable price you will also be making a difference to lives of the people of my country. My email address will be made available, so anyone is free to contact me with any pertinent questions but more importantly for feedback to help my company improve for all. Love and peace from Golam
