If Wedding Fashion İzmir Wedding Dress, Wedding Suits and Evening Gowns Fair opened its door at 22-25 January for the eighth time. Considered to be Europe's biggest fair in its field, for four days the fair can be visited by only professional visitors. To the fair which opened in İzmir International Fair area, from 9 provinces and 4 countries, 150 domestic, 21 foreign, 171 companies were participated. At the fair, wedding dresses, suits, evening gowns and accessories are on display. To the fair from close to 50 countries, purchase delegation was attend to arrive mainly from U.S, France, England and Spain. In the purchase delegation program of Ministry of Economy, bilateral discussions was carried out between buyers and exhibitors that would came from Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Israel and Uzbekistan. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President of Turkish Fashion and Apparel Federation Hüseyin Öztürk said, "When someone mentions wedding dresses we want İzmir to come to mind in Turkey and in the world". Öztürk specified that the fair coming next to the name İzmir is very important and that immediately after last year's show they had started to work for this year's event. Öztürk points out that apparel industry is an intensive sector, "We are a sector that works for employment. We make Turkey's unofficial trade consultancy of exporters across the world. We make production under the conditions of Turkey and sell it in world conditions.” Öztürk says the apparel sector even gets affected from the slightest crisis in the economy, “A small concussion affects us too much. A decision made in Turkey, around the world, in a country we export, affects us. We export by satisfying the customer with the pressure of the cusumer” said. “İzmir has become the fashion center of wedding dress” The Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Aziz Kocaoğlu said, Wedding Dress, Wedding Suits and Evening Gowns Fair is growing with each passing day and that after the first exhibition organized with the participation of 74 companies, they had place shortage at the eighth. Kocaoğlu stated that the fair that will be organized in January 2015 will be held at the new fair area, also saying: "Marble and natural stone are our prominent fairs. At the marble fair, when we see the workshops, machines and the export of the sector we boast and be proud of it. The wedding dress fair opens like a flower in İzmir. Through this fair, İzmir has become the fashion center in wedding dresses. To see wedding dress showcase on each side of the bazaar is a sign of it. Next year, to organize a fair that will leave a mark on the world, after this fair almost immediately we will start working on this show. In a 5 times larger than the present location, with the fair we will organize next year, in this sense, Izmir, will become a center of the world." At the opening ceremony, with the "White Curtain" themed "5th Wedding Dress Design Contest" was held. 15 finalists from 348 applicants competed in the fashion show, awards were given to the students who entered the first three and got mention.
