Grameen check is a type of clothing design that is very popular in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, and is rapidly expanding to other countries as well. It mainly constitutes a pattern of squares or rectangles formed from different colors of dyed

Dye

A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....

 threads. Clothes with grameen check designs are mainly made of cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 fabric woven in the traditional methods by the cottage-industry workers in Bangladesh.

History

Grameen check was pioneered by Grameen Bank

Grameen Bank

The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...

 founder and Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...

 winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...

. The clothes and the designs were products of the same small-industry weavers he helped through Grameen Bank

Grameen Bank

The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...

.

Popularity

Grameen check designs and clothings have recently become very popular in Bangladesh. Since the fabric is mostly or totally made of cotton, it has proven to be a comfortable clothing for the warm climate of the country. The design has also given the younger generation an opportunity to dress in traditional attire while still representing the present times.

Economic impact on the manufacturers

Most of the fabric of grameen check comes directly from the traditional weavers of rural Bangladesh. The popularity of grameen check means that these small businesses are thriving and weavers (mostly from traditional weaver families) are earning money from the work they are good at, rather than having to migrate to towns and cities for other jobs.