Successful start of Texworld Istanbul

The first edition of Texworld Istanbul made a successful debut in Turkey with a fully booked show floor and 5,248 qualified visitors.

The event featured 115 exhibitors from 10 different countries. China, Taiwan, Turkey, Pakistan and India were among the exhibiting countries followed by South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia and France. Visitors took advantage of the great variety of products offered on the show floor, including cotton, embroidery and lace, knitted fabrics, functional fabrics, fibres and yarns, silk, prints and wool. Texworld Istanbul included all product groups for apparel fabrics and accessories. In addition, the Texworld Istanbul trend forum presented a curated selection of fabrics of the exhibitors present. The trade fair was held at the Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul, “The first Texworld Istanbul was a success. Our exhibitors, in particular from Asia, have experienced great interest from professional visitors from Turkey as much as from the surrounding regions. As most attendees came from Turkey, the Middle East and the Gulf States, Central Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe, Texworld Istanbul has met exactly the expectations of our exhibitors,” says Tayfun Yardım, Deputy General Manager, Messe Frankfurt Istanbul. “Texworld Istanbul has already become the right order platform for the whole region. We are expecting further growth for the next two fairs in 2015.” “The first edition of Texworld Istanbul has been a success and this success is only the beginning. Turkish fashion labels are looking for a Texworld Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey, larger variety and different qualities of fabrics to meet increasing domestic demand. Given the fact that Turkey is one of the most important textile nations in the world, we believe that the upcoming editions of Texworld Istanbul will welcome even more exhibitors and visitors to Turkey.” says Diğde Eşki, Show Director, Texworld Istanbul.

Around 75 percent of the visitors came from Turkey and the remaining from the surrounding regions. Leading fashion brands such as LC Waikiki, Koton and De Facto attended the fair. Garment manufacturers, private label producers, textile retailers and wholesalers, large scale retailing companies and designers were also among the registered visitor groups. During the opening ceremony, Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, reiterated the decision of Messe Frankfurt to organize a Texworld in Istanbul after Texworld Paris and Texworld New York. “Turkish apparel exports have more than doubled since 2000. And Istanbul is clearly a sourcing hub right between Asia and Europe. This is why Messe Frankfurt, the global leader in textile fairs, has now brought the world of fashion fabric manufacturing to Istanbul.” He also thanked Executive Vice Chairman of CCPIT-TEX, Mr. Xu Ying Xing, and President of Turkish Uludag Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB), Mr. İbrahim Burkay for their continuous support of Texworld Istanbul and Messe Frankfurt textile brands around the world. After the opening ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between UTIB and Messe Frankfurt to highlight the importance of the Turkish textile and apparel industry at all textile fairs around the world.

Exhibitors show great satisfaction 

Turkish exhibitor Maiteks Tekstil exhibited prints for Childrenswear & Ladieswear. “The first Texworld Istanbul in Autumn 2014 has been very efficient. We are highly satisfied to exhibit our products in such a successful organization, to meet many visitors from Turkey and the surrounding region and to develop new business partnerships. We are Texworld Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey, looking forward to the next exhibition” stated Ms. Seda Kuş, Export Manager. Another Turkish exhibitor Vakko Esmod Istanbul Fashion Academy presented the designs of their students with the sketches and the samples on the models. “We are very satisfied to attend such a kind of an international exhibition in Turkey with the visitors from both academic and private sector professionals. We want to produce new projects like expositions or trendy seminars such as sustainability and ecology in design, in cooperation with Messe Frankfurt for Texworld Istanbul in Spring and Autumn 2015. There are lots of producers in Turkey and Texworld Istanbul who will develop the awareness for these producers for new fashion fabrics and accessories.” stated Ms. İlkay Haznedaroğlu, Public Relations Responsible of Vakko Esmod Istanbul Fashion Academy. Chinese exhibitors were satisfied with the qualified business contacts especially concerning wholesalers from Turkey. Altogether, 46 Chinese companies booked a stand at Texworld Istanbul making it the largest country representation of the trade fair. Tongling Worldbest Linen & Ramie Textile Co. Ltd. found the first Texworld Istanbul very satisfying. Their product group is Ladieswear & Menswear and they were quite happy to meet their current buyers and new customers as well. Mr. Jason Gao, Vice General Manager, shared:” Our stand has been visited by the buyers of the big brands in Turkey such as LC Waikiki and De Facto and the wholesale buyers. Most of our visitors have been from Turkey and we had visitors from Greece, Russia and Iran as well.” Hongtai China Co. Ltd. indicated that they had already a few contacts from Turkey and their aim to attend Texworld Istanbul was to explore more. Mr. Deer Cai, Foreign Trade Salesman, stated: “During the exhibition, we had the chance to meet wholesalers and manufacturers and one of the reputable fashion brands Koton visited our stand. We had visitors from Turkey and Eastern Europe as well and had met the right business contacts for professional buyers. The first Texworld Istanbul surpassed our expectations.” Taiwan attended the exhibition with a pavilion of 14 companies as another country representation. Taiwanese exhibitors had focused on fibers & yarns, blended fabrics, knitted and functional fabrics for leisurewear and sportswear. Hemmers Itex Textil Import Export GmbH from Germany had also stated their satisfaction for the first Texworld Istanbul. They met suppliers from Turkey, Greece, Eastern Europe and Russia. Buyers such as Marks & Spencer have visited the company. Mr. Stephan Kluth stated: “We found a gap in this market. We have amazing responses and several new business contacts. During 3 days, we were always very busy. We had no time to walk around the fair. We look forward to attending Texworld Istanbul in 2015 again.” Bombay Rayon Fashions Ltd. from India shared that they had aimed to meet visitors from Turkey and Europe. Mr. Puneet Mahajan, President-International Marketing, stated: “We met some new contacts in the exhibition and will attend Texworld Istanbul again in April 2015

Trend Forum and Seminar Program popular among attendees

Many visitors took the opportunity to explore the Trend Forum designed by Texworld’s Art Directors Louis Gérin & Gregory Lamaud. The Trend Forum presented trends with a clear focus on Turkish colours and styles. Six themes of influence were disclosed in the “Impulse” trend book: Spontaneous Attraction, Brutal Poetization, Innocent Appropriation, Anonymous Quintessence, Abrupt Veins, dedicated to denim, and Fragmented Relics for accessories. Attendees also enjoyed daily guided tours provided by Louis and Gregory. “As on the other Texworld fairs in Paris and New York, the first Texworld Istanbul was a true trend spot. Our trend presentation was packed and we had a great selection of fabrics and accessories from participating exhibitors. Also, Istanbul has been a fantastic location with its vivid lifestyle and wonderful fashion boutiques,” says Louis Gérin. Peclers Paris and Vakko Esmod Istanbul Fashion Academy also drew the crowds with their seminar sessions on all three Show says.