IFCO: Significant increase in international visitors
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From 7 to 9 August 2024, the successful sixth edition of IFCO Istanbul Fashion Connection took place with 300 exhibitors in a total of 4 halls at the Istanbul Expo Centre.
With this event, Istanbul Fashion Connection underlines its importance as a hub for the international fashion industry. Compared to the previous year's event, the proportion of international visitors increased by 13.9%. Almost 18,000 visitors came to IFCO in Istanbul, 35% of whom came from abroad. The most represented region was Asia with 31.3%, followed by the Middle East (31.3%), Europe (16.4%), North Africa (13.4%), North America, South America and Africa together with 3.1%. High-ranking buyer groups from a total of 121 countries came to IFCO to find out about the latest fashion trends, network and place orders.
"The apparel industry has been working towards a trade fair like IFCO for a long time. We have succeeded in realising the seemingly impossible by bringing together all the key players in our industry. Today, we are proud to have created a brand like IFCO. With its rapid success, IFCO is constantly evolving and improving its quality with each new issue. It is gaining a higher place in the global fashion calendar every day. Istanbul, the fashion capital of Türkiye, is the perfect place to unite fashion, design, trends, trade and collaborations." Mustafa Paşahan, İHKİB Vice President
EXHIBITORS
Divided into clear product areas on a total of 30,000 square metres of exhibition space in four halls, brands and manufacturers presented the latest collections from the areas of womenswear, menswear, kidswear, denim, sportswear, evening and wedding wear, lingerie, hosiery, leather and furs. Once again, the designer area THE CORE Istanbul inspired visitors with creative and exclusive designer collections and once again proved to be a magnet for visitors. Over 20 established and young designers presented their latest collections, such as 2be4a - Ayşegül Konukoğlu, A Piece of Work - Ezgi Karayel, Arzu Kaprol, Aylin Çetinkaya, Be Oz - Sinem Özusta,Bianco e Nero - Gamze Satgan, Essin Barış, EynaCo, Helin Aydoğan, HEVA, Meltem
Aybar, Meltem Özbek, Mert Erkan, Nazlı Terzioğlu, Özlem Erkan,Safarah World - Ece Erigi, RyderAct, Selin Küçüksöz, SHYZ Wear - Seydullah Yılmaz, SYGA - Gönül Altunışık, Tuba Ergin, Urban Muse, Viola&Vesper. Many of them are already represented internationally, such as Arzu Kaprol, Meltem Özbek and Tuba Ergin.
"IFCO is a very important platform for us. The trade fair shows the concentrated power of Turkish design and offers innovations at all levels of textile and fashion production. International customers in particular honour these developments. The newly established business relationships especially with buyers from the USA and Russia are remarkable. The aim of the trade fair is to bring the international industry together in one place at one time. We have established intensive contacts here." Arzu Kaprol, designer, owner In the IFCO BRANDS area, market leaders and retail brands such as B&G Store, Jakamen, Giotelli, NCS and 7Camicie impressed with trendy stands featuring their individual store designs. They presented the latest collections, which they also sell internationally, and reported that they were very satisfied with their participation in the trade fair. "The trade fair is an excellent platform for presenting our brand, networking and acquiring new customers. We had visitors from North Africa, the Turkish Republics and the Middle East. At IFCO, we presented a collection to give people a broad understanding of our brand. We work with over 50 retailers worldwide and operate our own retail stores. IFCO is an efficient platform to expand our network." 7Camicie, Cemil Karabel - Vice President Karabel Group.
The pioneer of the ‘Accessible Luxury’ concept in Türkiye, Gizia, is also very positive about participating in IFCO: "We are very happy to have this trade fair platform in Türkiye. It brings our fashion brands together with foreign customers, we make new contacts here every time and gain new customers. There are buyers from almost every country at the trade fair." Gizia, Batuhan Kutlu, owner
SUPPORTING PROGRAM
IFCO B2B MEETING
The IFCO B2B Meeting was once again a complete success, with almost 100 renowned visitor groups from over 20 countries taking part in the meetings and successfully making the relevant business contacts and placing their orders. Most of the participants came from the USA, including Lulus, Love Shack Fancy, Clark Sabbat, Diane von Fürstenberg Studio, Rebecca Taylor and Telfar. Followed by the UK with buyers such as New Look Retailers Ltd, Matalan Retail or Ssense Ltd. Namshi Fashion from the United Arab Emirates were there, as well as V-Mart Retail from India or the Lunelli Group and Matergea from Colombia and Mexico's large retail chain Chedraui. Buyers from the Ivory Coast, Canada, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Portugal and Italy with TwinSet or Germany with The Listener and Atelier X GmbH also successfully networked at the sixth edition of the Istanbul Fashion Connection.
IFCO TREND AREA
This year's IFCO Trend Area theme ‘Ascension’ was staged by the Istanbul Moda Academy (İMA). İMA was founded with the aim of training fashion designers who have a high awareness of fashion, design and art as well as international markets. It aims to provide the textile and ready-to-wear industry, one of Türkiye's most fundamental sectors, with a creative and innovative labour force that will shape the future of the sector.
İMA, which has adapted systems and structures with proven success worldwide, has been a member of the board of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) since 2019. İMA cooperates with Polimoda, Institut Français de la Mode, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Arts London/London College of Fashion, its strategic partner in the academic field. Through a simultaneous educational programme with these world-renowned fashion schools, İMA offers its students the opportunity to reach international fashion schools, brands and designers.
Ascension’ interprets the future through its own fashion philosophy. The journey into the self is thematised. Ascension means living in the here and now and focussing on the present moment. It is about finding peace, clarity and inner calm. Instead of deriving happiness and value from the outside, true fulfilment is about connecting with your own inner being. The decisions made and paths chosen not only determine the individual path, but are also part of the greater whole of human development and shape a new future. IMA impressively visualises this theme in the IFCO TREND AREA in the thematic areas ZEN REVIVAL, MULTIFACETED, RECLAIMED CONFESSION and FREED.
IFCO SHOWS AND TALK
The IFCO SHOWS and IFCO TALK captivated the audience in equal measure.
Every day, the IFCO SHOWS impressed with the latest fashion trends for autumn/winter 24/25 on stage. As part of the IFCO FASHION TALKS, renowned industry experts offered in-depth insights and discussions on topics such as WGSN's fashion trends for Autumn/Winter 2024-2025, opportunities in fashion export, the connection of digital art and fashion, the new face of Turkish fashion and the panel talk on ‘Pioneering New Century Solutions of the Denim Industry’.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Türkiye is playing an increasingly important role as a supplier of clothing and textiles. As a global player, the country ranks third in exports to the European Union and sixth as a global supplier. In 2023, exports of clothing and textiles reached US$ 28.8 billion; the medium-term goal is an export volume of US$ 40 billion and thus a promotion to the Champions League of the fashion industry. The immediate priority for the Turkish clothing sector is Europe, and the focus is on expanding into these markets.
"Our fashion brands have over 3,000 shops in more than 100 countries worldwide. This shows the strength of our fashion industry in terms of design, innovation, branding and green transformation." Mustafa Gültepe, President of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) and Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB).
This roadmap for clothing production in the Turkish fashion industry is being pursued stringently. The entire industry is being strategically prepared for this and numerous projects have been initiated, including as part of the IPA - IHKIB EU projects (Instruments for Pre-Accession Assistance). Important topics include the digital transformation, with investments totaling over €10 million since 2014: the Digital Transformation Centre (DDM) is doing pioneering work in adapting the apparel sector to the EU's digital single market, as are the activities coordinated by the Türkiye Exportes Assembly for the sustainable transformation of the apparel industry, which have reduced the ecological footprint, made the supply chain fit for EU policy and set up a carbon monitoring centre. Over €7 million was channelled into these projects in 2021 and 2022.
The strong expansion of modern production capacities in the eastern region of Türkiye is part of the country's strategic orientation to play a key role in the global clothing and textile industry.
IFCO, Istanbul Fashion Connection, is the showcase of the Turkish fashion world and the fashion hub for the international fashion industry, connecting East and West.
With Texhibition Istanbul, the organiser completes the all-round offer for the international fashion business of fabrics, ingredients and yarns as a supplement to IFCO from 11 to 13 September 2024, also at the Istanbul Expo Center.
The next IFCO is planned for 5-8 February 2025.