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Vendors raise warm clothes' prices as cold tightens grip

Shahnaz Parveen
With the mild cold gradually tightening its grip, a large number of city dwellers are crowding the city's footpaths now buzzing with selling of warm clothes.
The vendors said during the past few days their sale of warm clothes marked a sharp rise while the customers said the prices have shot up.
The crowd of customers can be seen at Bangabazar, Municipal Hawkers' Market, Gulistan and Farmgate, near Baitul Mukarram, Bangbandhu Stadium, Dhaka College, New Market and Gausia, Muktijoddha market at Mirpur section 1, Shah Ali market at Mirpur 10, and Purabi Super Market in Pallabi.
Hawkers and the shop owners at Bangabazar, the treasure trove of clothing, said although they started selling winter clothes in November, their sale boomed during the past
week.
"Sales of winter clothes were very low last year. People did not get to wear heavy sweaters as the weather was not cold enough. However, we have seen sales have been rising since past week," said Maruf, a hawker from Bangabazar.
Surplus and rejected sweaters made by the local garment industries are mainly on display in the shops. While the lower income group is opting for used clothes, he added..
"The variety and most importantly the price, attract a cross section of the society. There are things for everyone in the footpath," Maruf said.
Old and new woollen sweaters, shawls, cardigans, jumpers, jackets, blankets, headgears, scarves, socks and gloves are selling at the shops.
The prices of locally made and Indian shawls range from Tk 200 to Tk 250. Woollen sweaters and car-
digans cost Tk 150 to Tk 200 while winter caps cost Tk 50 toTk60.
Woollen blankets are selling at a price between Tk 400 andTk 1500, sometimes even more depending on the quality.
At Nilkhet bedding stores, the price of a double size quilt made of recycled leftover cotton and processed garment factory waste cotton starts from Tk 400 while of pure cotton starts from Tk 800 and can go up toTk 1,500.
Abdul Jalil, another hawker at Bangabazar, said high price of the imported wool and other raw materials is a reason for high prices of the products.
"Besides, the high coSt of living must be considered. And goods transport cost has increased. So we had to increase the price," he said.
Nurul Islam, a CNG-run autorickshaw driver from Jatrabari shopping at Doza Market, said, "There are quality clothes available in the stores. Footpath is the
only place where we can afford to buy winter clothes. Because of the rejected garment products the middle class and the low income group can survive the winter."
Fashion houses and boutiques have also brought in new designs in their collection. This year fashion enthusiasts are going for handmade cotton shawls with hand stitches, brushwork, block and screen prints. Embroidered shawls are also popular.
During the Eid vacation the country started to experience thick fog and a moderate to severe cold wave. Met Office predicts the fog will fade away but the chilly weather is likely to continue for a few more days and the nights will be even chillier.
The country is likely to experience major cold wave at the end of this month and early January when temperature will fall drastically.