(AGI) – Rome, March 30 – Istanbul is the new capital of pret-a-porter. Turkey has become the second largest supplier of European clothing and produces clothes for leading Italian and French fashion houses. The city, heart of the country’s economy, is gaining a place of prestige on the international fashion scene.
The Istanbul Fashion Week showed us a different face of the Turkish economy. From mere suppliers of ‘labor’ for the Western brands, the local entrepreneurs are beginning to make their own designers and fashion houses known abroad. Therefore, the expression ‘Made in Turkey’ is quickly becoming a mark of excellence and quality: for the first time the Istanbul Fashion Week has had as the main sponsor Mercedes-Benz, just like the prestigious Fashion Week in New York.
“In the international competition in the textile and clothing sector, Turkey is the real winner”, said to AGI news agency Michele Tronconi, president of Sistema Moda Italia, one of the largest global organizations representative of industrials in textiles and fashion. “Their textile districts are well organized and equipped with the latest technology, thanks to German knowhow and the fact that the Turkish purchased several plants from both Germany and Italy. Now Turkey has developed their own technology, allowing local businesses to meet their increasing number of orders”, Tronconi said.
Despite the European crisis, in 2012, apparel exports reached 15.7 billion USD, with a positive trend in the first months of this year. But in addition to export, Istanbul – with its huge shopping malls, such as Mall Cevahir and Istinye Park, which is the largest in Europe – imports the most prominent international brands. According to data provided by the Ministry of Economy of Ankara, the clothing imports in 2012 totaled 2.5 billion USD, a figure considered by Italian entrepreneurs still too low compared to the economic potential of the country. “The interchange for the moment is predominantly in one direction” Tronconi said, “while it would be important to have a two-way traffic between imports and exports in order to ensure that Turkey would become, for Italian companies, the gateway to the Middle East market”. The key to success in the Turkish textile and clothing sector, according to the entrepreneurs, lies especially in the development of economic policy by the government in Ankara. “In Turkey, there is a political environment favorable to the industry, the costs for companies are under political control”, Tronconi said. An additional factor facilitating European production in the Turkey is a “currency exchange in our favor. Lastly, Turkey has tariff barriers that prevent the interruption of the production chain, which prevent the import of ‘low cost’ fabrics from China or Pakistan”. “The only handicap,” according to Tronconi, is creativity”: the Turks have become great engineers and technicians “, but “the ideas are Italian”.
Behind the scenes, hundreds of people collaborate to the production of a line of clothing. “Creativity is the result of a continuous exchange of ideas and opinions,” Tronconi said, “each operator in the supply chain must offer something new every six months, from the fabric to the study of fibers.” At that point, having evaluated the different proposals, chosen the fabrics and imagined the finished product, one creates a sample that will be used to get estimates. And it is then that Turkey comes into play offering “the lowest price and high quality”. Producing abroad “allows companies a savings of about 30%,” said to AGI Rinaldo Lorenzon, President of Dressing SPA, an Italian company that has licenses on major clothing brands, such as Class Roberto Cavalli, Scervino Street, and the French Plein Sud. “50% of our production is done in Italy, the rest in countries such as Romania and Turkey,” Lorenzon said. Nowadays, the consumer “prefers to have a European produce rather than Asian”. Turkey is now perceived in the field of fashion, as a European country. “China has become less attractive for production” and is reducing investment in the textile sector, as companies “are turning more and more to Turkey, because of its proximity, only two hours by plane from Italy.” Lorenzon also explains how the production of clothing works.
After working on sketches and prototypes are made by designers in Italy, “our technicians follow their realization abroad ensuring the highest quality. Then the clothes return to Italy where they are subjected to washing, ironing and finishing. ” With regards to Turkey, Lorenzon said, “there’s been a great deal technological advancement in recent yard, that has perfected production from of sportswear to garments of the highest level”.
To mediate between the major fashion houses and textile companies in Turkey, there are specialized agencies such as Jasmin Agency Istanbul (JAI), which is well-known in the market for over 15 years. Amongst its client, JAI has Italian and French fashion houses. “Our clients send us sketches and specifications of clothes to make and JAI finds the most suitable textile company, indicating times and prices for the production”, says to AGI the JAI managing director, Yesim Gulsel. Then the clothes begin to take shape: from the choice of fabrics, often Italian, to packaging, everything happens in direct contact with the boutiques of haute couture, which take care of every step of production, usually through videoconference on Skype. “We provide ‘ready-to-wear’ (pret-a-porter)” says Gulsel, “sometimes we receive the original sketches to develop. With Italy, in particular, there is a close relationship of import-export, because we buy many of their finest fabrics, such as cashmere and merino wool ” Turkey’s in the fashion industry is fairly new, especially when compared to countries such as Italy and France, with historical traditions. “We have approached fashion when Turkey was Westernized,” says Gulsel. “In 1925, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk introduced a series of reforms as far as the country’s clothing costumes, hence designers landed from Paris and spread French fashion in Turkey.” Today, in addition to the production of European clothing, new local brands are emerging, and although they are still unknown outside the borders, they can count on designers both young and motivated who are convinced that Istanbu will earn the recognition it deserves amongst the capitals of fashion. “Today, in addition to carpets famous all over the world, and the “Blue Eye” (called ‘Nazar’ – famous Turkish amulet) apparel designers are already internationally known. I think that on one hand we need greater imports of foreign brands, and on the other, an enhancement of our exports, to make Turkish style and fashion known” says the entrepreneur.
Returning to Italy, the president of the Italian Fashion System calls upon the institutions and policy: “It is not a problem of labor cost. What we need is an industrial policy made of synergies instead of one made of subsidies. We must encourage companies to produce in Italy in order to conquer new markets, such as China, which demand for a pure “Made in Italy” as a guarantee of excellence and creativity. (AGI) .