Doubling the workforce at Catwalk Sarajevo

Just when the company began to settle and build a vision for a better future, the COVID-19 pandemic started. Textile companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina faced numerous challenges during the pandemic. Orders and sales significantly dropped, and supply chains were disrupted, making the purchase of raw materials very difficult from early February 2020. The industry estimates that that every third job lost in the country during the pandemic occurred in the textile sector.

Ema did not have to fire any workers; however, she could not grow as planned. At that time, she came across the announcement by the EU-funded project EU4Business Recovery who provided financial and technical support to the textile industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mitigating the impact of the pandemic on sales and jobs. Ema applied and got the support she needed so badly. “The EU-funded project has significantly improved our business and helped us overcome the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic years,” she says.

Crucial contributions from the project included the purchase of new equipment and launch of an online store, as well as a new retail store in Montenegro.

As a result of the support from the project, the management originally planned to create five new jobs. Ema proudly points out that that aim was not only achieved but eventually exceeded. “With the support we received from the EU, we doubled the number of our workers, from 12 to 24,” she says.

The company is currently launching their new product line – swimsuits – and have improved their production processes by purchasing software for clothes design. They also aim to start exporting to EU countries. According to Ema, their vision is to build a strong medium-sized factory that will not grow too big, but will be able to make sufficient profit – and, more importantly, pay good salaries for their workers.