About ZXY
We are a global apparel buying and sourcing company with over 40 years of experience in the textile industry, with production and innovation centres in Bangladesh, Türkiye, India, Pakistan, and Egypt.
Over the years, we have developed a range of pioneering solutions for global brands and retailers, while staying true to our mission to combine great product design and quality, with sustainable development, compliance excellence, and design innovation.
Our Global Network
Bangladesh
- Diversified product range including Flat Knit, Shirting, Woven Bottoms, Innerwear, Outerwear, Technical & Fashion Sportswear
- Digital design & innovation hub
- Sustainable supply chain
Certifications:
Türkiye
- Specialised product capabilities including Teamwear, Premium Lifestyle ranges
- Flexible capacity and speed
- Digital design & innovation hub
- Short transit time to EU
Certifications:
India
- Specialised in sustainble & eco products
- Research & innovation hub
- Sustainable supply chain
Certifications:
Pakistan
- Specialised in fabrications - fleece & home textile products
- Washing innovation hub
Certifications:
Egypt
- Specialised in cut/sew knits
- Rapid transit to EU/US
- Duty Free to EU/US
Certifications:
Meet Our Founder
Abby Jamal
Founder & Managing Director
Abby’s personal story began in Africa as he was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya. From an early age, Abby was immersed in the world of textiles by his family’s textile business, so it was a natural progression for him to head to the UK and study Textile Technology & Management. Afterwards, he launched his own UK corporate-wear label.
Over the years, Abby’s sourcing had taken him across the globe, to countries like Portugal, Greece, Peru, Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Botswana, Tanzania, Egypt, India, Türkiye, and Bangladesh — to name but a few. Having experienced the usual sourcing pains as a buyer first-hand, Abby decided to create a professional organisation at the source - providing solutions and adding value to the supply chain.
After relocating to Bangladesh, he founded ZXY in 2001 with a clear mission: to be unique and innovative while redefining global sourcing standards, becoming the best sourcing partner in the apparel sector. Today, Abby’s vision empowers a team of over 700 colleagues across the globe, in Bangladesh, Türkiye, India, Pakistan and Egypt; each team member is committed to ZXY’s values of ”passion for perfection.”
History of ZXY
1960s
Early Years
Mr. Ahmed Jamal Rawjee, was born in Tanzania, East Africa at the start of the 20th century. He migrated to Kenya and there he founded the Globe Industrial Corporation. As an entrepreneur, Ahmed ventured into various business products, from European formal suits to synthetic wigs!
In the coastal city of Mombasa, he established the beginning of the Jamal family’s tradition and passion for textiles by opening a small family run factory with the help of his wife Shahsultan and eldest son Amin.
1971
The Journey Begins
Born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, our founder Abby Jamal set off for the U.K. in the late 60s to study in Leicester. There, he completed both a BA Degree and Associate of Textile Institute (A.T.I.) qualification in 1971.
Inspired by the small family textile business back in Africa, after graduating, he began selling garments, walking the streets of London and going door to door.
1982
First Trip to Bangladesh
Having established a core business selling blank t-shirts and polos, Abby also branched out into other sectors to develop worldwide commodities, including trading in sugar and other essentials to Africa.
He set off on a business trip to Bangladesh in 1982 in search of jute bags for commodities.
1983
T-Shirt Pioneer
Abby realised Bangladesh's potential in the garments sector, and encouraged and supported a local businessman to set up a proper factory in Narayanganj, to create the first Western spec t-shirt.
Abby guided them through all the necessary quality standards, and even hand-carried a spectrophotometer and other machinery out to Dhaka! In 1984, this partnership managed to export the first proper t-shirt out of Bangladesh.
80s
GBTC & OTM
Throughout the 80s Abby and his partner Harry Tucker built Over the Moon (OTM) and the Great British T-Shirt Company (GBTC).
While sourcing products in Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, and Thailand, there was always a focus on Bangladesh. Abby personally helped many of the founding factories in Narayanganj reach export quality, in order to grow the nation's industry.
Early 90s
J.T.'s Corporation
In the early 90's, Abby and Harry diversified into screen printing. Eventually, they realised that the real gap in the UK promotional market lay in providing quality blanks for the industry.
This led them to the establishment of J.T.'s - short for Jam-Tuckers (Abby Jamal & Harry Tucker).
1999
The Next Step
Having spent nearly two decades buying apparel from Bangladesh, Abby realised the opportunity to set up a one-stop sourcing solution for garments that could provide a guaranteed commitment and service for each customer.
He decided to evolve to the next chapter, and focus on establishing the first truly comprehensive garment sourcing company in Dhaka.
2000
J.T.'s Opening in Dhaka
The Great Bangladesh t-shirt company evolved into J.T.'s Bangladesh, and the initial focus was on sourcing clothes for J.T.'s UK and the European market.
A fond memory that remains for the team was the location of the office, overlooking the main Dhaka Cricket Stadium, and how they could watch test matches with a spectacular view.
2001
Establishing ZXY
Abby rebrands the company as ZXY Apparel Buying Solutions. The name “ZXY” demonstrates that it puts first what others leave till last.
It was also a friendly nickname for Zaeem – third generation in the Jamal family – albeit for very different reasons.
2003-07
The New Dawn
As ZXY's initial operations began to grow, it became apparent that customers were looking for global solutions across multiple locations.
In 2004, ZXY opened its first satellite office in Tirupur, India and followed by establishing a partnership in Jiaxing, China and then an office in Delhi (affectionately named the white house). In 2005, ZXY's financial operations were moved to Dubai, UAE.
In 2006, the company celebrated the "New Dawn" in Dhaka, establishing the next stage for the company - and showcasing the new in-house design team.
2008-10
Diversification in Products
While ZXY's earlier focus had been on promotional, corporate, sports, and fashion essentials, its customer base now expanded to cover active/technical sports and high street fashion.
To serve customers better, ZXY further grew its design and development team in Dhaka, expanded sampling facilities, launched it's in-house laboratory testing facilities, and opened a dedicated office in Tirupur and a satellite office in Bangalore.
The company experienced significant growth during this phase, and laid the foundations for the current corporate structure by dedicating teams to specific product categories and global regions.
2011-14
Global Presence
To broaden the products solutions for ZXY's diverse customer base, new regions and offices were established in Istanbul and in Lahore. ZXY also launched its first own factory - ZXY Apparel Manufacturing Ltd. in Chittagong. From servicing primarily European customers, ZXY was supplying customers across the globe from South America to Australia. To reflect this, ZXY Apparel Buying was rebranded as ZXY International.
2015
Passion for Perfection
2015 was a milestone for ZXY, as the company focused on adapting to the direction the fashion industry was moving in. With this vision, ZXY moved to a tower in Badda, Dhaka, offering an open workspace environment.
In 2016, a new logo was introduced for official use, with "ZXY" emanating from the centre of an orange sun.
2020
A Vision for the Future
As ZXY continues its journey, different countries and continents will become home to new offices and new partnerships with customers. The critical change was the update of 'Our 2020 Vision' which will ensure ZXY's transition into a centre of excellence and potential.
By investing in the team through training and development opportunities, ZXY is setting up ZXY for success, enabling even higher service standards to its customers and partners.
We all share a responsibility in protecting the earth for our future generations.
2021
ZXY Global Showroom
We launched ZXY Global Showroom at our regional office in Istanbul, Türkiye, to showcase the complete ZXY regional product range under one roof. We also remain focused on achieving our sustainable targets by 2030.