Clothing brand for big people making a splash

Like many in Bangladesh, Farhan Tanvir often struggled to find suitable clothing given his large size.

Standing at about six feet tall and weighing upwards of 134 kilogrammes, Tanvir could rarely find any shirts, T-shirts, panjabis or trousers that could fit his measurements.

"I went to many tailors a week ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr last year but no one wanted to make a panjabi of my size in such a short period of time," he said.

Tanvir eventually found a tailor in Bashundhara City Shopping Mall that agreed to take on the task but delivered a rather low-quality product despite being paid for better materials.

This prompted Tanvir to launch his own brand, called "Bigshot", for plus-size people so that no one else has to face such a problem.

The company began its journey by making shirts, T-shirts, panjabis, hoodies and jackets in October 2022.

Tanvir currently sells his products through online platforms and is enjoying a good response.

Having started the business with an investment of Tk 2.70 lakh, Tanvir sold goods worth around Tk 8 lakh ahead of the two Eid celebrations this year.

At present, a total of nine people are working on his team, which retails clothes in sizes ranging from extra-large (XL) to 8XL.

Tanvir started out by first looking for good quality materials, including yarn and different accessories while also educating himself on the apparel production process.

He then searched for a factory that could make his products as per their design, but this proved to be a difficult task as no one agreed to make such large clothing.

And after much discussion with numerous factory owners, Tanvir eventually found one that agreed.

"But in the first shipment, 30 percent of our shirts were rejected due to poor quality," the entrepreneur said.

"I then understood that if you trust someone with little knowledge, you will be cheated," he added.

Tanvir then relocated to another factory and made a deal with them to make panjabis.

With a bachelor of science in industrial and production engineering from the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Tanvir's life could have gone down a different path.

"My wife, Farhana ‍Akther, had asked me a long time ago to work in the garment sector, but I didn't really think of it much at the time. Now, I feel like I am involved in a good cause," he said.

"I am now focused on my career at Bigshot. If you want to be established in any sector, there will be many challenges. But you have to deal with them and move forward," Tanvir added.

He also said that people's support is needed to establish any successful brand.

"I've had a lot of people with me since the beginning of this journey. Those who are still with me, I am grateful to them," he added.

Tanvir hopes that in the future, Bigshot branded shoes, belts, polo shirts, pants and more will be available.

"And as time goes on, the dream of Bigshot will get bigger," he said, adding that the company will begin online sales in Australia from next month.