We are proud to announce that we opened our first showroom on 1 July, 2022 at Shaptak Square, centrally located on Road 27, Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Every journey is marked by steps big and small, and opening our first showroom was one of the biggest steps in our history.
We took our first steps towards producing quality leather goods all the way back in 2016, and following continued success on our online platform, we have decided to launch our first offline store. This truly was an enormous leap of faith, made possible by unprecedented love and trust from our customers, with the rising demand from online shoppers and their enthusiasm for the brand, lighting the way for us.
A host of customers, well-wishers, and people from different sectors who support sustainable fashion attended Gootipa outlet’s launching. Among them were Professor Dr. Gitiara Nasrin, humanitarian professional Farheen Khan, activist Ferdous Ara Rumee, and journalists Nayeemul Islam Khan, and Ishrat Jahan Urmi.
The shop was formally inaugurated by eminent Dhaka University professor Dr Sadeka Halim, former Dean of the Social Science faculty, and information commissioner of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Dr Halim is a committed advocate of sustainable consumption. She often appears on her social media wearing locally made products and speaks about how buying locally made products helps the local economy grow and contributes to the empowerment of marginalized people.
| Professor Gitiara Nasrin encouraged the enterprise with the words, “I am very happy to see the progress of a local brand becoming a favourite among all of us, especially those who look for functional bags.” “Gootipa is a woman-owned business and their bags are mostly made by women artisans who enjoy decent working conditions, and we must celebrate their success,” she added. |
 Professor Gitiara Nasrin at the event |
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Farheen Khan, now working with Kumudini Welfare Trust of Bengal, noted, “I love how Gootipa bags are so convenient to use. It can rival the neat designs and total functionality of top designer brands of the West any day.” |
The brand’s founder Taslima Miji is passionate about her output as well as her business ethics, and her contribution to the fashion and lifestyle market in Bangladesh has gained good traction. She began her journey with a small collection of bags, which helped her assess current customer demands. ‘The public reaction has been overwhelming,’ Taslima Miji says. ‘People generally prefer imported bags because they are of higher quality, but they are willing to buy products made in the country if they are long-lasting,’ she added.
At the opening ceremony, Miji stated that ‘Gootipa has been online for a long time. Finally, our company’s journey has reached offline as a result of overwhelming interest from customers who want to feel and see the range of our products before making their choices.’ Miji recognizes that an undue portion of the nation’s foreign exchange is spent on imports even though Bangladesh already has immense potential to flourish in producing high quality, internationally competitive products. Her faith lies in the fact that this new beginning will play an important role in promoting the handicrafts of Bangladesh as well as creating productive and secure workplaces for the artisans.
