Shah Rayeed Chowdhury, Director of Evince Group, discusses how Bangladesh’s garment industry can capitalise on its origins to foster innovation, explore emerging markets, and attract the next generation for sustainable success.
Shah Rayeed Chowdhury, Director of Evince Group, embodies an entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering commitment to transforming Bangladesh’s industry, building on his family’s legacy while inspiring the next generation to follow in the footsteps of our nation’s industries’ pioneers.
After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in 2013, he returned home determined to make a tangible impact. He briefly honed his financial acumen at Lanka Bangla Finance Ltd. before joining Evince Group in 2014, where his strategic insights quickly placed him at the helm of core operations across the group’s integrated textile and garment divisions. That same year, he launched Noir, a clothing retail brand that showcased his keen sense of consumer trends and market positioning. In 2018, Shah Rayeed secured the master franchise for Miniso, rapidly establishing it as one of Bangladesh’s fastest-growing lifestyle retailers.
His entrepreneurial drive culminated in 2020 when he and his elder brother founded Evitex Dress Shirt Ltd, a LEED Platinum-certified factory producing premium garments for international brands. Known for blending meticulous operational oversight with a passion for innovation, Shah Rayeed Chowdhury has earned a reputation as one of Bangladesh’s most promising young business leaders.
In this exclusive interview, Shah Rayeed Chowdhury discusses how Bangladesh’s garment sector can draw on its legacy to drive innovation, penetrate new markets, and inspire the next generation for long-term success.
Director
Evince Group
In your eleven years of experience in Bangladesh’s garment industry, what strengths and weaknesses have you identified?
I’ll start by saying that our greatest strength lies in the fact that Bangladesh’s garment industry is no longer just a cluster of ‘factories’ churning out cheap products; it has evolved into a full ecosystem offering end-to-end solutions from design and R&D to textile and spinning. Our factories today are modern, fully compliant, and in many ways more advanced than those you’ll find in competing countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, or even India. Bangladesh is simply not a ‘tailor shop’ anymore; we’re a manufacturing hub with green, LEED-platinum-aspiring campuses that show our buyers we care about longevity and legacy. Evince alone employs more than 15,000 people, and it’s remarkable how the industry has empowered rural women, giving them respect, a sense of achievement, and real economic power, which, frankly, is a narrative we need to share far more often.
Now, the second generation is stepping up, bringing free thinking and fresh creativity into the business, and that is a huge advantage. When buyers visit and see these campuses, they understand that we, the younger generation, are not just about margins; we’re about forward thinking. Our ideas, our vision are for the long haul. Our plans look well ahead into the future, and they understand that we aspire to do something grand, something much bigger than any of us. And that gives them confidence we’ll remain relevant for the long term.
On the other hand, our biggest weakness, or really the opportunity we’ve yet to seize, is the way Bangladesh is marketed globally and nationally. Too often, when people hear “Bangladesh garment industry,” they think only of cheap manufacturing, broken roads, and poor conditions. This means buyers come with short itineraries just to check the bare minimum before leaving, without spending the time to get to know this country, because they work under a preconceived notion that maybe Bangladesh doesn’t have much to offer. That’s not business-friendly, and it’s discouraging because it obscures the real positive impact of our industry.
We are too busy keeping the economy alive, looking after our people, and running day-to-day operations that we don’t have the time to change this narrative. But, if we don’t, over time the rest of the world will start believing that our nation really does have nothing much to offer other than ‘cheap’ labour, and that’s a problem.
I believe we should definitely focus on promoting our true strengths – our advanced facilities, our skilled workers, and the social benefits we deliver – and we ourselves realise how strong and powerful this sector is. If we don’t tell our own story, nobody else will, and that’s the challenge we must overcome.
With how much the world has changed since the ‘80s, when our nation’s RMG sector started its journey, have we been able to adapt to the times?
If you walk into any of our factories today, you immediately see how far we’ve come from those congested, hazardous facilities inside Dhaka city back in the ’80s. When buyers visit from places like Myanmar, they’re genuinely impressed to find fully upgraded, modern plants. That kind of reaction tells me our mindset is changing and that we’ve moved from traditional setups to forward-thinking operations. That shift is evident in every corner of the industry.
Infrastructure across Bangladesh has improved dramatically, and life has become so much easier; we’re even seeing a real push toward corporate culture. Companies like ours and a few others have structured themselves as public limited entities, with clearly defined roles like CFO and CEO, relying on delegation and empowerment down the line rather than every decision funnelling back to one person. That’s what ‘forward thinking’ looks like.
On a more personal level, I’ve noticed how our generation treats work differently. To us, it’s our actions and results that truly define us. We’re non-judgmental and focused on performance. So, for instance, when I hire someone, I’m less interested in grades or CGPA and more interested in real-life problem solving, street smarts, and whether they can face challenges head-on. At entry levels, academic credentials do carry some weight, but experience becomes increasingly important as you progress in your career.
Now, I can’t speak for the entire industry, but from my experience, I’ve seen how, as we have moved away from rigid, traditional mindsets and toward a culture of freedom and creativity – traits that are seen most in today’s youth – opportunities have multiplied for everyone.
If you compare Bangladesh in the ‘80s and now, you’ll see enormous progress, widespread acceptance, and countless opportunities. The fact that foreign retail brands, which we never imagined working with, are now manufacturing here speaks volumes about how far we’ve come. It proves that our country’s acceptability has grown, and that, to me, is the clearest sign that we’ve adapted remarkably well.
If you compare Bangladesh in the ‘80s and now, you’ll see enormous progress, widespread acceptance, and countless opportunities. The fact that foreign retail brands, which we never imagined working with, are now manufacturing here speaks volumes about how far we’ve come. It proves that our country’s acceptability has grown, and that, to me, is the clearest sign that we’ve adapted remarkably well.
How do you anticipate our current challenges, such as workday shortages, tariffs, conservative orders from buyers, and an ongoing energy crisis, affecting the RMG industry in the short term?
First of all, we should all place industry first when it comes to any discussion, because if the industry is saved, then people are saved. You might think business owners want to put on their life jackets first, but that’s not what I mean. When a certain sector contributes 84% of the entire economy, and the wheels of the economy depend on it, it should become obvious that we should support it.
Right now, the gas crisis we have is critical. When a buyer places an order, you cannot have any exceptions to the delivery date. The garment industry is so sensitive because the business is seasonal. If you miss the season, you miss the trend, you miss the sales, and customers will only buy certain products while the trend is still relevant.
We need informed people who understand the gravity of the situation to make decisions. Some might assume that if gas is out for a week or two, the worst that can happen is that businesses will just request a one-week extension from their customers, but that is never the case. For example, fast-fashion brands deliver new products every week, meaning lead times have to be just as short to catch those buyers. Bangladesh is seeing an influx of such brands, and encouraging the industry to work with those orders and that timeframe ultimately contributes to our economy.
Thankfully, we did receive some good news. A meeting between the energy advisor and our business leaders was very positive, and a resolved outcome should come soon. But some damage is already done, and we just hope it doesn’t continue in the long run.
Another pressing issue is workday shortages. Garment factories must maintain compliance when it comes to work days, which are usually twenty-six days in a month. Now, this Eid we have ten days of holidays, and that is bound to cause production drop and income loss for the country. These are days factories will not be able to recover from, as we cannot simply keep factories open for additional days in the coming months to make up for it. Keeping in mind, there are two Eid holidays in Bangladesh, and two yearly bonuses which still need to be paid to employees along with salaries, despite reduced production, this becomes a huge burden for the nation. Dialogues are very important before such decisions are made. In the future, there should be a proper outline of the pros and cons based on studies and projections that clearly state the potential loss of significant work.
Finally, tariff issues and conservative orders go hand in hand. The moment tariff concerns start, buyers become conservative about placing orders – and they should, because they don’t know what will happen next. The unpredictability of US policy under Trump, for instance, has caused buyers to hold back. The US government is now looking for a written proposal from us, and our business and government are working on that, so hopefully it’ll be positive. It would have been better if we were able to plan ahead like our competitors, like India, have done through negotiations with the US government in advance and kept their business flowing.
At the end of the day, decisions about industry operations have to be based on fruitful, productive discussions. I’m not speaking from a purely entrepreneurial viewpoint because, frankly, that viewpoint is irrelevant when you consider what’s best for the nation. We should work progressively toward ensuring our industries thrive, because amid all these challenges – gas shortages, holiday schedules, tariffs, and conservative orders, the RMG sector remains the backbone of our economy, employing and supporting millions. If we don’t have honest conversations and plan ahead, we risk letting those wheels grind to a halt.
In what ways can the transition of leadership from our RMG pioneers to the next generation be managed smoothly?
It is rather difficult to definitively state how the transition of leadership can be managed smoothly, so I will share what I have learned from my own lived experience. I believe that every person, regardless of generation, seeks one thing – freedom. They want freedom to perform at their best, whether in business or in personal life. Success isn’t measured solely by financial gain; it’s about having the time and autonomy to pursue meaningful work. When younger leaders are confined by overly restrictive expectations, their performance suffers. In my own experience, my father understood this and granted me the autonomy to chart my own course. Rather than insisting I work in the United States for a set period, he asked what I truly wanted to explore. That freedom allowed me to partner with my mother and brother in retail, which in turn prepared me to join our garment business with genuine enthusiasm for marketing and merchandising. Because I was allowed to pursue what I loved, we were able to launch successful ventures, and I developed a deeper commitment to our family’s legacy.
So, in my view, smooth leadership transition depends on previous generations offering guidance without imposing rigid demands. My father never monitored my daily schedule or dictated specific tasks; he simply supported my decisions and encouraged me to take on new challenges. When my brother and I decided to build a new factory, we did so from the ground up. We sourced bricks ourselves, stayed on-site for days at a time, and replicated our father’s original efforts in our own way. By assigning roles based on our individual passions, we expanded Evince Group organically, creating a retail division under Evince that didn’t exist before. Had I been forced into a predetermined role, I doubt I would have developed the same sense of ownership or drive, and I might even have felt compelled to seek opportunities abroad.
Which emerging markets should Bangladesh explore for high growth potential?
When you’re in the garments business, it’s all too easy to focus only on brands in the US and Europe and assume that’s the entire game. We’ve grown comfortable in our routine, afraid to step outside our comfort zone, and we forget that the world extends far beyond Dhaka. Because we specialise in men’s shirts, women’s tops, and light jackets, our design sensibilities, customer preferences, and price points naturally align with Western markets. But that also means the seasons line up. When it’s off-season in the US, it’s off-season in Europe. If you’re only focusing on these markets, you’d end up with three or four lean months each year when your factories would run at a loss. If you can’t fill capacity during those months, you’re essentially operating at full tilt for eight months and then soaking up losses for the remainder of the year.
That’s why exploring new markets is so important. By looking beyond our traditional customer base, we can smooth out those lean periods instead of slashing prices and scrambling to fill orders. For instance, we’ve tapped into South American markets like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Panama, all of which have different seasonal cycles and customer tastes. Korea has also shown promise, and China represents a massive opportunity, with several Chinese buying houses and brands now placing orders through free-of-charge arrangements. These markets offer the chance to keep factories busy year-round and mitigate the volatility that comes from relying solely on Western seasons.
Of course, you can’t seize these opportunities by staying behind a desk. You have to travel, meet with buyers, and look for brands you’ve never even heard of – brands that might have two hundred or three hundred stores but fly under the radar in our usual sourcing circles. It takes effort, and it means getting out of the office and out of your comfort zone. But the potential is there. It’s simply a matter of shifting our mindset. There are countless opportunities beyond the familiar, and we have to be willing to find them.
Product development has enormous scope in our industry. From my perspective in marketing, one of the key ways to secure the right price is to have a solid R&D team. Buyers are feeling higher costs just as we are, so they’re cutting back on their own design and marketing expenses and seeking suppliers who can deliver a complete package. If you have in-house designers who conduct global research, you save the buyer time and money.
How do you assess the scope for innovation and product development within Bangladesh’s garment industry?
Whenever it comes to innovation or technology, the man behind the machine is very important. You cannot simply invest in new technology and expect machines to run themselves. They need trained, knowledgeable people to operate them. In Bangladesh, we may not yet be ready for full automation.
When I talk to my father about fully automated systems, his first question is always: “Where’s the manpower?” That’s the reality we face, and it’s why our investment is focused on semi-automation. If you walk through our factories today, you’ll see machines upgraded and updated regularly, but always with a person nearby running them.
Semi-automation is achievable, but anything beyond that will take time because we have to educate our workforce, and that cannot be done overnight. This is why training institutes like the BGMEA’s are so essential.
Product development, meanwhile, has enormous scope in our industry. From my perspective in marketing, one of the key ways to secure the right price is to have a solid R&D team. Buyers are feeling higher costs just as we are, so they’re cutting back on their own design and marketing expenses and seeking suppliers who can deliver a complete package. If you have in-house designers who conduct global research, you save the buyer time and money. We’ve built an entirely Bangladeshi design team with 3D capabilities; today, we share mock-ups with buyers before a single stitch is sewn. And because of that setup, we’re able to work with major global brands. There was a time we never would have imagined landing global names, but with our R&D and design strength, it became possible. Without it, we’d be stuck doing basic production like a tailor shop, churning out low-margin pieces.
That said, we also have to guard against thinking we must do everything ourselves. Often, people assume they need their own cartons, accessories, washing facilities, and spinning mills. But greatness in business, just as we see with top global brands, comes from specialising in one area and excelling at it. If we try to cover every single aspect, we’ll end up spread too thin. So, whether it’s machinery, R&D, or design, we should focus on doing it properly rather than doing it all.
What strategies would you suggest to inspire our young, knowledgeable, and motivated generation to join and strengthen this growing sector?
To the young generation embarking on their own entrepreneurial journey in the RMG sector, I would say, it’s not about you – it’s about ensuring your company thrives. You need to love what you do. When passion drives you, long hours and weekends in the office don’t feel like a chore. Be patient, avoid the rush for instant gratification, and resist comparing yourself to others. Practising these lessons takes real discipline, and it must come from within.
Challenges aren’t new to our industry. My father has been in this business since 1983, and he’s heard for decades that the industry is dying, that competition is too fierce, and expenses are skyrocketing, which are not favourable for the industry’s long term. Yet here we are.
Our predecessors came from nothing, built something through sweat and trial and error, and gave us education and a strong foundation. Bangladesh is only 53 years old, meaning our parents are older than our country itself. So, it’s now our responsibility to perform for them and for the nation. Everything I have, every opportunity, every lesson, came from Bangladesh. Why wouldn’t I channel my efforts and earnings back into this country and into my family’s legacy?
Opportunities abound if you look for them. When I landed back from my studies, I resolved to do something global from right here, and that vision led me to introduce an international franchise in Bangladesh, not because it was new in the world, but because it was new here. There are yet countless avenues that need to be explored. We have so many categories of clothing yet completely untapped – products which offer high value and high returns. Seize those opportunities and pursue greatness by breaking those boundaries.
I believe we have not yet even given even 20% of our energy and attention to this sector. If not 100%, let’s at least try to give it 80% and really test the market.
Evince has already committed to investing heavily in the garments trade through 2025 and beyond because we see the future of this country and our industry. Now is the time for our generation to step forward, close the gap with global competitors, and pay it forward to those who came before us. If you believe in Bangladesh’s potential, come join the industry because the country needs your creativity and drive more than ever.
