From the Sector

The fashion industry, which has strategic importance for the Turkish economy with its value-added production, employment, and exports, came together with representatives of global brands and Laison offices at the 'Green transformation' summit. At the meeting hosted by the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB), the studies carried out in the process of adaptation to the Green Deal were put under the spotlight, and the expectations of the Turkish fashion industry from the stakeholders were also expressed.

The opening of the meeting, attended by representatives of relevant ministries and foreign representations, national and international fund providers, as well as brands and buying groups were brought together, was made by Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TIM) and IHKIB President Mustafa Gültepe. In his speech, Gültepe underlined Türkiye's importance in the global apparel industry, by realizing approximately 3.5 percent of world apparel exports. Gültepe continued as follows:

"As IHKIB, we aim to increase our current annual exports, which are around $20 billion, to $40 billion. The road to the goal goes through Europe and America because the European Union is our largest market in apparel. We export 60 percent of our total apparel exports to EU countries. When we add other European countries and the USA, the ratio approaches 75 percent. While working on alternatives for the $40 billion in exports, we need to focus more on the European and U.S. markets because, as the data shows, the path to $40 billion in apparel exports goes through Europe and the U.S. We already have long-standing collaborations with brands centered in Europe and America. With our knowledge, speed, production quality, design power, and geographical proximity to Europe, we distinguish ourselves from competitors. We took a very important step in the transformation process exactly one year ago. We shared our action plan, which is a road map for our fashion industry's compliance with the Green Deal, with the public on January 30, 2023."

After Mustafa Gültepe's opening speech, Euratex Director General Dirk Vantyghem, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Trade Bahar Güçlü, and Deputy Secretary General of ITKIB Özlem Güneş made presentations regarding the ongoing efforts in the Green Deal process.

Dirk Vantyghem discussed the sustainability strategy of the textile and apparel industry and the expectations from the EU administration, while Bahar Güçlü provided information about the reflections of legal regulations related to the Green Deal on Türkiye.

Deputy Secretary General of ITKIB Özlem Güneş emphasized the significant opportunity that the Green Deal represents for the Turkish apparel industry, providing comprehensive insights into the efforts conducted by IHKIB regarding the Green Deal adaptation process.

From February 8th to 11th, 2023, the third edition of IFCO, Istanbul Fashion Connection will take place in the Istanbul Exhibition Center.

The fair with over 600 exhibitors in 9 halls gives an overview of the new collections in the areas of womenswear, menswear, kidswear, denim, shoes, leather & furs. Separate platforms at IFCO are LinExpo for lingerie and hosiery and FashionIST with a wide range of wedding dresses, evening wear and suits. IFCO Sourcing, a new area at IFCO, offers the opportunity to find numerous companies for sourcing capacities.

Also new is the partnership with Igedo Exhibitions, Düsseldorf, which is responsible for the EUROPEAN SELECTION area at IFCO. International fashion labels present themselves at the fair as part of this participation.

More than 25,000 visitors from over 100 nations from all sales channels, from department stores and boutiques to online platforms from Eastern Europe, the Central Asian markets and the Arabian Gulf region, alongside buyers from Türkiye are expected at the show.

The declared goal of the organizers is to offer a "one-stop shopping solution" with IFCO that shows the creativity of the Turkish fashion scene, enables access to new sales markets and at the same time establishes the connection to potential production partners for supply chain optimization. The competitive advantages of production in Türkiye are evident:
short delivery times, high production quality, young and well-trained employees, the possibility of small minimum order quantities, a vertical textile and clothing industry that allows "one-stop shopping".

The manufacturing sector is an important sector for the industry, with over 80% of companies in Türkiye engaged in this sector. Türkiye has the fastest economic growth among the G20 after Saudi Arabia at 7.6% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022, according to the Turkish Statistics Authority. Export is one of the most important pillars of growth.

The trade fair concept is being supported by the government with several programs. These include the cooperation with IMA, Istanbul ModaAkademisi, which regularly produces design talents becoming an integral part of the international fashion scene. IMA was founded in 2007 by ITKIB / IHKIB with the help of the IPA I program ((IPA: Instrument for Pre Accession Funds, provided by the EU for the EU candidate countries). Young design talents are brought to the stage at IFCO in cooperation with the ‘’Koza Young Fashion Designers Contest’’.

Istanbul Fashion Connection feiert Premiere: 300 Firmen und Marken präsentieren sich im Februar kommenden Jahres auf 30.000 qm im Istanbul Expo Center. Die Messe findet unter 2G-Regeln und Einhaltung strikter Hygienemaßnahmen statt.

Mit der Istanbul Fashion Connection lanciert die Istanbul Apparel Exporter's Association (IHKIB), Global Player unter den Exportverbänden und Interessenvertreter der türkischen Bekleidungs- und Textilindustrie, eine neue Plattform für die internationale Modebranche. Unter einem Dach wird die gesamte Palette der Bekleidungsindustrie präsentiert: Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Denim. Show-in-Shows mit den Produktbereichen Lingerie und Strumpfwaren sowie Braut- und Abendmode komplettieren das Angebot.

Als halbjährliche Veranstaltung - der nächste Termin ist vom 24.-26. August 2022 - bietet Istanbul Fashion Connection einen Überblick über türkisches Design, Produktionsqualität und Serviceangebote der türkischen Modeindustrie.

Eine der größten Herausforderungen für Industrie und Handel in der Modeindustrie sind momentan nicht funktionierende Lieferketten, mit entsprechenden Konsequenzen für die Modebranche. Lieferstörungen werden zum größten Kostentreiber, wie eine aktuelle McKinsey-Studie zeigt. Nearshoring nimmt eine Schlüsselfunktion ein, Geschwindigkeit und Flexibilität in der Beschaffung sind zentrale Wettbewerbsfaktoren. Über 70% der befragten Sourcing-Verantwortlichen planen, bis 2025 ihren Einkauf aus nah gelegenen Ländern zu erhöhen. Die Türkei gehört hierbei zu einem der interessantesten Beschaffungsstandorte, sie ist zum ersten Mal in den Top 3. Das Land liegt strategisch günstig zwischen Europa und Asien und die Türkei ist Mitglied der EU-Zoll-Union.

Themen wie digitale Transformation, Smart Clothing, technische Textilien und Sustainability stehen im Fokus der Seminare und Workshops auf der Istanbul Fashion Connection. Trend Zonen und Modenschauen informieren über aktuelle Trends.

Für Besucher bietet IHKIB ein attraktives Einladungsprogramm inklusive Unterkunft und Transfer an.