( 2 minutes read)
· The fashion and textile sector are booming in Benin so also the number of entrepreneurs engaged in the verticals
· One interesting factor is that women are mostly behind the transformation
· They are now working towards creating Benin’s own brands for woven fabrics
· Benin produces cotton but they are mostly exported in raw form, denying the country value addition
The fashion and textile sector are booming in Benin so also the number of entrepreneurs engaged in the verticals. With that, there is a renewed interest in the country to convert raw cotton into fabrics and apparels.
One interesting factor is that women are mostly behind the transformation. They are now working towards creating Benin’s own brands for woven fabrics. Benin produces cotton but they are mostly exported in raw form, denying the country value addition. Conversionto fabrics would help the country to realize more value to its products besides accruing more foreign exchange by exporting fabrics and not cotton.
The young women are setting up their own production unit of woven loincloth. For each collection, at least 54 rolls of 25 meters of woven loincloth are produced, as well as 300 pieces of clothing each quarter. The buyers are loincloth diehards and fashion professionals. The Beninese woven loincloth is in great demand. However, quantities produced remain too low to meet the demand due to lack of a developed textile industry in the country
