Can Turkey make its mark as the next big thing in fashion? Not just as a producer – it already has this sewn up, with a dynamic industry that serves key markets in Europe, Russia and the Middle East, and is ranked the second biggest apparel supplier to the EU – but as a fashion centre in its own right, with its own designs, brands and collections.
That’s certainly the goal of the organisers of the latest Istanbul Fashion Week, which took place last week in this vibrant and magical city.
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Indeed, Hikmet Tanriverdi, president of the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Association (ITKIB), believes events like Istanbul Fashion Week (IFW) have the potential to “open new horizons for Turkey.”
With apparel shipments worth US$12.9bn last year, the country already has a reputation as the world’s fourth largest clothing exporter, and the second-largest supplier to the EU. But Tanriverdi hopes that elevating Istanbul to the position of “fashion capital” will also help lift exports to $20bn in the medium term and up to $60bn by 2023 (when the Republic celebrates its centenary).
“Our aim is to turn Istanbul into a fashion hub, not just a manufacturer but a creator of brands,” Tanriverdi told visitors to IFW, adding that “we are gaining momentum. Aiming for quality and design will always pave the way for success.”
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The optimism of industry executives seems to be well-placed.
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By GlobalDataThe country already appears to be rebounding from the economic slump that saw major clothing retailers and importers pare back their orders – and has made its mark this year as the only top-20 exporter to the European Union (EU) to clock up a rise in shipments in the five months from January to May.
This performance was all the more impressive in that it was achieved against a backdrop that saw the EU cut its textile and clothing purchases by 6.3% to $21.9bn in the five-month period, down from $23.4bn a year ago.
And likewise, in just one year, the project that was launched to build Turkey into a global fashion force has nearly doubled in size and status. Last August’s Istanbul Fashion Days was held over three days, attracting 25,000 visitors. But one year on, the festival has been renamed Istanbul Fashion Week and boasts 21 catwalk shows, an audience of 40,000, and more than 500 overseas guests.
A commercial and cultural high
The timing of its plans seems to be in Turkey’s favour too. Not only does it boast one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but it is also on the crest of a cultural wave, with Istanbul this year celebrating its status as European Capital of Culture – an accolade that has not surprisingly generated hundreds of spin-off events across the city.
This “is likely to have a long-lasting impact” by putting Istanbul on the world stage, believes Ataman Omar, assistant chairman of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency,.
Turkey’s biggest city also sits at the country’s commercial heart. Situated as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, it is arguably the biggest trade centre between these two regions. To the west it borders Bulgaria and Greece, while Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria lie on the east.
This rich cultural and commercial tapestry “will help Istanbul take a much-deserved place as one of the main fashion hubs,” according to Bahar Korçan, president of the fashion designers’ association MTD, who supports her argument with the note that “global trends are moving from a single centre to multiple centres.”
But can Turkey make the transition from producer to fashion player? After all, it’s a big step up the value chain from simply manufacturing designs sent from abroad to being a country that creates and leads fashion trends and makes a profit from its own designs and brands.
And it’s a move being attempted by cities across the world as they try to secure a place in the international fashion calendar. Montreal, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berlin, Jakarta, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong and Madrid are just a few who also stage their own fashion weeks.
Manufacturing strength
Some believe Turkey’s manufacturing strength sets it apart from many other would-be fashion centres, which instead focus on design and marketing.
“Turkey has a very strong manufacturing base, good fashion skills, good quality, and is very fast and flexible on small quantities,” Ataman Omar told just-style, adding that the shift away from competing on cost towards offering added-value instead “pushes us to be more creative.” This creativity, combined with the industry’s existing skills, “give Turkey a further chance,” he said.
For Ece Ege, the Turkish-born but Paris-based designer of the Dice Kayek couture and ready-to-wear collections, “production is very important” in an increasingly crowded market where other countries are all vying to make their names as design destinations.
“Producing in our own country means we can always be there, which gives us better control over quality, and means we can always be there to follow up,” she told just-style from the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, which has just opened an exhibition of sculptural Dice Kayek creations inspired by the city’s mix of modernity and tradition.
“In France and Italy there is great workmanship, but it is very expensive. Here in Turkey it is cheaper and close enough to manage ourselves – and that means we can compete.”
The Dice Kayek collection is sold in 36 countries across the world, with around 80% of its production in Turkey, and the rest coming from China. Ece praises local manufacturers for their hard-to-define “feel” for fabrics, as well as their skills and know-how. And sampling is quicker too, she notes.
The start of a new era
But while Ece Ege praises Istanbul Fashion Week as “the start of a new era,” she also cautions that it “needs a lot of investment to continue.” A renewed focus on training is also important, since despite the availability of fashion design courses in 22 universities in Turkey, as well as the Istanbul Fashion Academy, more instructors are still needed.
That said, a key shift – the fact “the fashion industry now understands the importance of design and is supporting designers” – means change is underway.
While it may still be too early for Istanbul to push New York, London, Paris and Milan off their pedestals, one thing is sure: Turkey is on its way to becoming a vibrant competitor.
And as Fashion Week CEO Cem Kaprol told the local media last week: “We believe we could make Istanbul first in another league, as the economic axis slowly shifts to BRIC [the emerging super-economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China] countries.”
Indeed, there are signs that this shift has already begun. 90% of Turkey’s fashion exports to the Middle-East and Russia consist of home-grown Turkish brands, with Turkish labels currently found in 2000 stores around world.
