12th International Fashion fair ends on a successful note

01 Sep '08

3 min read

The 12th International Istanbul Fashion Fair (IFFF) at the CNR expo Exhibition Center was bustling with international buyers who could not resist the beguiling charm of Turkish fashion on display.

The three day long IFFF, inaugurated by state minister Kürsad Tüzmen, concluded only on August 30 and was jointly organized by the CNR Expo Trade Fairs, the IF Council and the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters' Association.

On display were a diverse range of women's and men's ready wear, kid's wear, sportswear, leather and fur, jeans, ladies and men's nightwear, lingerie, socks and accessories. Over 550 purchasing firms from about 33 countries including Puma, French Connection, Gap, Lifung, Next and Top Secret were expected to sign more than 4,500 commercial agreements.

As many as 342 brands got the opportunity to display their creative designs and bag new agreements with purchasers from international firms. In the meanwhile, the state minister visited various stalls and emphasized that the aim of such trade fairs was to provide a platform that assists domestic entrepreneurs in making Istanbul a new international fashion center.

The event kick-started with a 'butterfly-effect' themed runway show that featured collections from a successful Turkish designer Tuvana Büyükçinar and her ready wear line 'Tutti', for the spring and summer of 2009. Besides, the five finalists of the 17th Young Fashion Designers Competition also got the chance to showcase their creative designs to the visitors.

Fashion fads present at the event were also lucky to have witnessed the captivating catwalk of popular Turkish models. The IFF was initiated with the purpose of presenting the world with creations from Turkish ready wear sector which accounts for about 5 percent share of the 3.5 percent or $450 billion of the total garments and textile world trade volume.

The fair attracted more than 25,000 visitors this year and a strong participation from companies of Russia, Romania, England and Hong Kong. British clothing companies in particular are regular participants at the IFFF. Some of the participating companies complained about the growing threat to women's apparel sector from the Chinese and Indian counterparts however, others were optimistic about Turkey's global positioning and therefore seemed unaffected by imports made from India and China.

In all, the IFF as always was a huge success and participating companies are hopeful that the 13th IFF to be held between February 5 and 7, 2009, would be even more enthralling.

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