Turkish apparel and textile industry combined two global events under a single roof in İstanbul on 2-3 October. İstanbul Congress of the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) and the 12th İstanbul Fashion Conference were held concurrently in cooperation with the İstanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), İstanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB) and Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TGSD).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of İstanbul Fashion Conference, which was organized with the theme of “Better Together” this year, İHKİB Chairman Mustafa Gültepe reminded that Turkey is the sixth biggest apparel supplier of the world with its export volume of about 18 billion USD. Emphasizing that the Turkish apparel industry is a global player, Gültepe said the following:
Mustafa Gültepe: We want to be the third biggest supplier of the world
“I will not be modest, we, as a country, are brand in production and leader in fast fashion. We can deliver orders in three weeks. What is more important, we want to have at least five brands on the global scale. We have reached this point with the collaboration of all stakeholders and “common sense”. We target to be one of the three big actors in global competition with added value and branded production. The volume of our apparel export reached 13,2 billion USD in January-September period. We have achieved an increase of 3,3% in September. In particular, the increase of 31,4% recorded in the export to the USA in September, where the target is 50 billion USD, is striking. As sector components coming together for İstanbul Fashion Conference, we believe in this target. We have the public support. In the upcoming period, Industry 4.0 and sustainability will determine the rules of the game. We have a strong infrastructure in terms of institutional social responsibility and sustainability. As private sector and public sector, we are committed to the same target.”
Hadi Karasu: We are the country most ready for having brands at the global scale
Hadi Karasu, Chairman of TGSD, stated that they organized İstanbul Fashion Conference, held for the 12th time this year, with the themes of “collaboration” and “better together”. He emphasized that, in line with these themes, they cooperated with four leading associations and NGOS of the sector as well as EURATEX at the 12th İstanbul Fashion Conference. Karasu continued as such:
“Turkey is one of the two countries which possess integrated equipment and a strong ecosystem with all sub-industry branches from button to zip in apparel sector. Also, we have a very strong infrastructure in terms of sustainability. We are the country most ready for producing new brands at the global scale with this strong infrastructure. I believe that we will have more say in the future of world fashion industry than we are today. I am proud of the Turkish Fashion Industry for its contributions to our country and our world.”
Ahmet Öksüz: Sustainability and Technical Textile will determine our future
Chairman of İTHİB, Ahmet Öksüz stated in his speech that textile industry has been passing through a significant change and transformation process. Stating that İTHİB, with more than four thousand members, follows this process closely, Öksüz added the following:
“We closed 2018 with an export volume of about 8,5 billion USD. We have to follow the innovations, to observe where the world is evolving into and produce projects in accordance with this to further increase our market share. “Sustainability” and “technical textile” are two important factors that will determine our future. “Sustainability”, which we also follow closely, is important since it ensures the effective use of resources and is at the top among the main arguments of trade. In this process, information to be obtained from EURATEX İstanbul Congress and İstanbul Fashion Conference will shed light on our sector and enlighten our future.”
For the first time in Turkey with the Cooperation of İTHİB and ITU
Meanwhile, within the framework of industry-university cooperation, İTHİB and İstanbul Technical University (ITU) initiated the first Master’s Program with Thesis on Technical Textile in Turkey.
Speaking at the signature ceremony of the cooperation protocol, Ahmet Öksüz stated that textile is one of the indispensable sectors for the Turkish economy in terms of production, export and employment.
Stating that placements in the relevant department increased to 92% from 42% with the Textile Engineering Scholarship and Employment Project launched this year, Öksüz added that, “Scores of departments increased 100 points thanks to this Project, as well. With the importance we attach to the cooperation between university and industry, we launched the Master’s Program with thesis on Technical Textiles with ITU for the first time this year. We hope that young people can start their career in our sector with better qualifications and wider perspectives owing to the concrete step we took for our sector and our country.”
