Rubana Huq

With retailers looking to sell old inventory and seasonless basics, new orders for factories in garment hubs like Bangladesh are down by as much as 45 percent compared to last year.

The second-largest apparel producer after China is set to lose $6 billion in export revenue as the world's largest retailers cancel orders, jeopardising millions of jobs in the poor South Asian nation.

While retailers in western markets have been the visible victims of the current crisis, behind the scenes the nuts and bolts of fashion’s supply chain are facing a bleak future.