Texhibition Istanbul on the right track: Growth continues

The fifth edition of the Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories
Fair from 6 to 8 March 2024, organised by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation
with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), presented 557
exhibitors showcasing the entire range of the textile supplying section: from
woven and knitted fabrics to accessories and artificial leather. A new addition
was a separate hall for yarns and denim, the BlueBlackDenim hall. With this
trade fair, Texhibition has more than doubled its floor space compared to the
last event to 35,000 square metres.

Summary

“We are proud to have achieved our goal of making Texhibition a brand fair.
We started with 5,000 square metres of exhibition space in 2022 and now
occupy 35,000 square metres with the fifth edition, with the quality of the
exhibitors being our top priority. They are carefully selected according to
strict criteria such as the high quality, sustainability and design of their
products, their ability to create collections and their exportability. We have
brought together the best companies in the country at Texhibition, with a
further 200 companies already on the waiting list. The fair is internationally
competitive and well on its way to becoming the new centre of global textile
events.”
Fatih Bilici, ITHIB Vice President and Texhibition Istanbul Chairman

Exhibitors

Texhibition Istanbul once again brought together all components of the textile
industry and offers a comprehensive overview of all product groups in the
textile prepress sector: from woven fabrics to knitting, from denim to textile
accessories – Texhibition Istanbul acts as a central point of contact for the
entire international industry, with a clear focus on quality, innovation and the
latest trends like the denim companies Bossa, Çalık, İsko, İskur and Kipaş
at the BlueBlackDenim Hall.

Yarn companies such as Aksa, Diktaş, Ensar, Karafiber, Kaplanlar,
Korteks, Migiteks, Sasa, Tepar showed the production power of the yarn

sector in hall 7, here the highest level of product quality, design and
workmanship came together.

In addition to well-known market giants such as Almodo, Bahariye, BTD,
Can Textile, Iskur, Kipaş, Menderes, Söktaş, Yünsa, Zorlu, İpeker a large
number of other efficient export-oriented companies from the segments of
textiles (woven fabrics, knitting) presented their latest designs and products.

The high quality of the event, which provides excellent networking
opportunities with the global textile industry, was particularly in favour of the
exhibitors, who also very much welcomed the establishment of the trade fair
platform in Istanbul. “Istanbul is the locomotive for such a trade fair, for us it
is a must that Texhibition takes place here. This will enable us to significantly
increase our exports.” Ayse Gülisenlik, marketing & sales, Karabulut Tekstil.
“This is our fourth time at Texhibition, we are using the trade fair to expand
our international network and have welcomed trade visitors from Spain, the
UK, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Romania, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and
Egypt in particular. We benefit greatly from our participation in the trade fair.”
Tamer Nalbant, co-founder, Arta Tekstil. For the denim industry, the opening
of the separate denim hall at Texhibition was praised: “It is very important
that denim is given a special area for our industry. The fair exceeded our
expectations. For the next fair, we would like to see even more denim
manufacturers participating. As a premium denim producer, we think it is
extremely important that there is such a fair in Istanbul.” Betül Demirci senior
product development executive, Calik Denim.

Visitors

25,752 visitors came from over 112 countries, 41.8% from the European
Union (including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania etc.) and
Great Britain, Ukraine,26.5% from Asia (including Russia etc.), 14.8% from
the Middle East (including Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia)
10.7% from North Africa (including Algeria, Tunisia etc.), 3.1% from North
America (United States, Canada), 3.1% from South America and other
countries.

American buyers from the USA and Canada in particular, but also a large
number of Mexican and Colombian buyers took advantage of the numerous
match-making opportunities at Texhibition. Many B2B meetings took place
and led to numerous orders being placed, including from key accounts such
as Alexander Wang, Asos, Forever 21, Sainsbury’s, Veronica Beard etc.

Supporting programme

Infotainment

Visitors showed great interest in the seminars organized in two separate halls
of the fair, keeping the pulse of the sector. The extensive seminar and
workshop programme with a total of 16 events over the three days of the fair
offered a wide range of topics: from organic and sustainable products to
technological and digital approaches, denim future and climate-independent
designs.
Trend information has been given by trend expert Pascaline Wilhelmine with
“Eyes on Textiles, Colours and Textile Trends”.
Denim trends were presented by the curators of the BlueBlackDenim Hall
Gönül Altunisik and Selvi Yigci.
The topic “Regenerative Cotton” was presented by Muzaffar Kayhan, CEO
Söktas Textile and Vice President Aegan Textile Raw Materials and
Exporters Association (ETHIB). The future of cotton in textiles was discussed
by Ahmet Saffet Alpan, Head of Cotton, Louis Dreyfuss Company, Türkiye.
In the Innovation Hub, the well-known designer Arzu Kaprol gave creative
input on IOT Technologies together with the designer Merve Aydiner.
Marbling Art & Indigo workshop was performed by the artist Aysen Avci
Cavdar from the Ministry of Culture.

Creative centres

BlueBlackDenim Hall

Gönül Altunisik and Selvi Yigci creatively showcased the latest denim trends
in BlueBlackDenim in Hall 7, where exhibitors such as Isko, Çalık Bossa,
Kipas and İskur presented a wide range from iconic shades of blue to
unusual black denims.

Texhibition Trend Area

The Texhibition Trend Area, designed by Idil Tarzi and her creative team,
provided trend information in Halls 4 and 5 with current colour themes and
trends in materials and accessories.

Innovation Hub

Under the direction of Arzu Karpol and Filiz Tunca, the Innovation Hub in Hall
8 inspired with innovative projects that showed the future of the entire sector
and the generations that will shape the textiles of the future. Products that
include all the habitats of creativity, people and nature. The Innovation Hub
was an impressive showcase for the latest developments in the world of
organic, sustainable, recycled and ecological fabrics.

Tradition and modernity: “Loom of Blossom: Threads in Motion” by Kerim Dündar

Digital art installations guided visitors through the entire trade fair. Beginning
in the entrance area with an impressive digital installation of interwoven
flower motifs, “Loom of Blossoms: Threads in Motion” marks a confluence of
tradition and innovation, a place where the age-old rhythm of the loom meets
the pulsating beat of the digital age. This journey weaves together colour,
form and the essence of design that has surrounded humanity since the
dawn of civilisation.

Exports in the focus of the Turkish textile and clothing industry

The Turkish textile and clothing sector will reach a total export value of 28.5
billion dollars in 2023. With annual exports of 12 billion dollars, the Turkish
textile sector ranks fifth among global textile exports and is the second
largest supplier to the EU.

Türkiye has established itself as one of the leading textile producers in the

world, with a rich tradition and a wide range of products ranging from high-
quality fabrics to trendy fashion items. Türkiye has earned a reputation as a

centre of textile production thanks to its ability to manufacture high-quality
products efficiently and cost-effectively. It has integrated production
capacities that can cover all stages of production in the textile and apparel
sector. With modern manufacturing facilities, a well-trained labour force and a
strong focus on innovation, Türkiye has developed a diverse range of textile
products that are in demand both domestically and internationally.

Ahmet Öksüz, Chairman of the Board of ITHIB, emphasised the importance
of exports for the Turkish apparel industry: “With Texhibition, we have
created a first-class platform for the industry to promote export activities. The
fair has exceeded both our and the exhibitors’ expectations. The
competitiveness of the Turkish garment industry is currently weakened by
rising labour costs, but we are nevertheless seeing an upward trend in
exports. The industry is optimistic and continues to focus on innovation,
diversification and adaptability to strengthen its position in the global market.
The cooperation agreement signed between IHKIB and WRAP (Worldwide
Responsible Accredited Production) on 8 March is also an important step in
promoting business relations between Turkey and the USA. It centres on a
jointly developed pilot project aimed at identifying leading Turkish apparel
companies exporting to the US and encouraging them to obtain WRAP
certification to increase their competitiveness. As industry representatives,
we are actively committed to promoting the development of the textile
industry in the country in order to successfully meet global challenges.”