Myanmar news and archive

'Fashion power': Zarny, the Myanmar refugee turned Tokyo designer

Tokyo - Having fled Myanmar for Japan with his parents as a child, Shibuya Zarny began his fashion career as a model in Tokyo and went on to make clothes for royalty. "Fashion is an art that has enabled me to survive," the designer, whose label recently held a 10-year anniversary show in Bangkok, told AFP. The runway looks featured nods to...

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H&M to investigate alleged labour abuses at Myanmar garment factories

Swedish fashion giant H&M is set to investigate 20 alleged cases of labour abuses at its supplier factories in Myanmar, according to a report. It comes after a wider investigation by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), seen by Reuters, uncovered 156 cases of labour abuses at Myanmar garment factories in the year to February...

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Inditex to make 'gradual' exit from Myanmar

Inditex, the parent company of Zara, Zara Home, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius and Oysho, will no longer source clothes from Myanmar, an Inditex spokesperson has said. The fashion giant is halting purchases as a result of a campaign by global labour union IndustriALL to persuade companies not to invest in the country...

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Inditex believed to be making Myanmar exit

Spanish fast fashion giant Inditex is understood to have outlined an exit plan from Myanmar in response to calls made by global trade union IndustriALL for fashion brands to cease production in the country. The Zara-owner is reportedly looking to reduce the number of active Myanmar-based manufacturers, according to Sourcing Journal, which cited...

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Primark to halt sourcing in Myanmar

Fast fashion retailer Primark has announced that, in light of the unfolding situation in Myanmar, which is currently under military regime after a coup last year, it will be making a “responsible exit” from the country. Its decision follows the Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) independent assessment of human rights and responsible business...

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ETI urges brands to consider cutting ties with Myanmar suppliers amid army coup

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has urged fashion retailers to reconsider their connections with suppliers in Myanmar, a country which has been under political turmoil since its army’s coup against the government in February 2021. The situation has brought up concerns of whether the country can meet the international standards of workers’...

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Myanmar's garment workers face abuse and harassment under military rule

At least 60,800 garment workers in Myanmar have experienced alleged labour and human rights abuses according to a report by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRC). Since February, when a military coup illegally gained power, Myanmar’s garment workers, of which 90 percent are women, are at the front lines of the country’s civil problems...

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Why Bestseller, H&M and Primark are resuming sourcing in Myanmar

After a military coup on 1 February 2021 caused a state of emergency to be declared in Myanmar and protests by the population against the military junta’s seizure of power were met with violence, quite a few buyers withdrew from the Southeast Asian country for the time being. After a temporary pause, some apparel companies like Bestseller, H&M...

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Myanmar factory output at record low

The military crackdown in Myanmar is affecting factory workers. The Purchasing Mangers’ Index (PMI) conducted between March 12 and 23 was at 27.5, down from February’s 27.7. The news was reported by Business of Fashion. A figure below 50 is a sign of contraction, and these numbers are a record low. Input prices have risen for the sixth...

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Made in Myanmar: What can brands and retailers do?

Following the military coup in Myanmar on 1st February 2021, a state of emergency has been declared in the Southeast Asian country, which is an attractive sourcing location for the textile and garment industry. Tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets every day, demanding the release and reinstatement of head of government Aung San...

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Benetton pauses Myanmar orders

Benetton has joined H&M in pausing orders from Myanmar in the wake of military coup. Violence in the country has increased after the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government last month, which has also brought a spotlight on garment workers abuses in the country. In a statement, Benetton said, “We express our most profound concern for what is...

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H&M puts a freeze on Myanmar orders

After the deadly use of force against protesters in Myanmar, Swedish retailer H&M said that it will put a pause on placing orders in the country. To date, police and military and police have killed more than 50 people to quell demonstrations and strikes against a February 1 military coup. The news was reported by Reuters. H&M has 45 direct...