Eight garment manufacturers in Armenia have united and created a new Armenian fashion brand "5900 BC" as part of the UNIDO project "Upgrading export- oriented industries, focused on modernization of textile and garment production." The project looks to help modernize the industry and increase access to foreign markets. The list of the companies comprises: Tosp, Melante, Agnessa, Firma Lida, Kanaker garment manufacturing factory, Karavaj, Nanman, and Arsfine.
Talking to ArmInfo, CIIC Coordinator at UNIDO Araksya Grigoryan said the 2-year project costs about US$1 million and is funded by the Russian Federation to introduce the Armenian garment and textile manufacturers to the international markets, and the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union, first.
Grigoryan said this financial assistance is not enough to settle all the problems in the light industry sector in Armenia - loss of sales markets, transport costs, lack of clusters and quality certificate labs - but it will enable the manufacturers get access to new sales markets. She said in the Soviet period of time, the industry employed nearly 150,000 people, while now only 6,000 are engaged in the field. The industry was operating on foreign orders producing nothing except simple underwear. The companies have no designers, no constructors, and no ties with the local fashion stylists. In this light, under the UNIDO project, a Fashion School "Atex-Burgo" has been created with help of specialists from Italy.
By official statistics, in 2014 Armenia exported textile for US$50.3 million, with a 29% growth versus 2013.