Fashion Prime and Fashion Tech, bringing together the ready-to-wear and textile technologies industries, continue at Fuarizmir. Alongside the comprehensive exhibition of fabrics, garment sub-industry products, ready-to-wear collections, garment machinery and textile printing technologies, the expos are also attracting strong interest with their fashion shows, industry talks and exhibitions. Highlights included the panel discussion "Towards the Textile Biennial – 8,000 Years of Textiles in İzmir" and a series of fabric fashion shows featuring renowned model Gizem Özdilli.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Fashion Prime – Textile, Ready-to-Wear Suppliers and Technologies Expo, organized by İZFAŞ, and Fashion Tech – Ready-to-Wear, Garment and Textile Machinery, Textile Printing Technologies Expo, organized in cooperation with İZFAŞ and İzgi Fuarcılık, aim to further strengthen İzmir's position as Türkiye's leading textile hub.
8,000 Years of Textile Heritage in İzmir
The panel titled "Towards the Textile Biennial – 8,000 Years of Textiles in İzmir", moderated by Dr. Ayşe Füruzan Caman, Director of the İzmir Museum of Painting and Sculpture, brought together curator and poet Nihat Özdal, archaeologist Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik, Head of the Ulucak Höyük Excavations at Trakya University, and artist Yekateryna Grygrenko to discuss the rich textile heritage of İzmir.
According to Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik, archaeological findings confirm that Ulucak Höyük, located in the Kemalpaşa district of İzmir, is the oldest known textile production centre in the Aegean Region.
"The excavations at Ulucak Höyük are of great importance for understanding the cultural history of İzmir, the Aegean Region and Southeast Europe. The site's archaeological layers continue to reveal previously unknown aspects of prehistoric life. More than 300 spindle whorls and loom weights used in textile production have been uncovered, with some individual houses containing as many as 50 to 60 spindle whorls, indicating a highly specialised textile industry. It is even possible that textile products were produced for exchange. Clay seals discovered alongside these artefacts, which are believed elsewhere to have been used for decorating textiles or body art, suggest they were also part of textile production at Ulucak. Compared with other archaeological sites, where such finds are relatively rare, Ulucak yielded them in remarkable numbers. This intensive concentration clearly demonstrates that the settlement was a major textile production centre, making it the oldest known textile manufacturing hub in the Aegean Region."
"This Biennial Will Belong Not Only to İzmir, but to Türkiye"
Collector, poet and curator Nihat Özdal highlighted the importance of establishing a textile biennial in İzmir while sharing experiences from the İzmir Accessible Museum of Modern Art.
"We developed projects for visually impaired visitors featuring classical artworks and contemporary pieces created primarily from fabric. Throughout my career I have contributed to establishing museums across Anatolia and advised ethnographic museums in cities including Kayseri, Hatay, Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep. Ethnography tells the story of a region through its people, cultures, gastronomy and textiles.
Today, İzmir is recognised as one of Türkiye's most dynamic textile production centres. The discoveries at Ulucak Höyük demonstrate that this region was already a thriving textile manufacturing centre 8,000 years ago. Anatolia is, in many ways, a geography of textiles, with traditions stretching from Central Asian weaving patterns to Turkish textile arts. Situated between East and West, this land has the potential to host a textile biennial of global significance. This will not simply be İzmir's biennial—it will be Türkiye's Textile Biennial."
Artist Yekateryna Grygrenko also shared her artistic practice, explaining how she brings together multiple disciplines of contemporary art through works created primarily with textile materials.
Fashion Shows Captivate Visitors
The second day of Fashion Prime – Textile, Ready-to-Wear Suppliers and Technologies Expo featured fashion shows attended by a large audience of domestic and international visitors.
The runway presentations included:
The shows were choreographed by Serkan Duman and Gökhan Duman, featuring 35 professional models from Duman Agency.
Renowned model Gizem Özdilli also appeared on the runway, wearing a striking white gown during the mixed-fabric fashion show.
Fashion designer Erkan Yılmaz stated that preparations for the presentations had taken five months, adding that he was proud to introduce the collections of Türkiye's leading fabric manufacturers through this prestigious international exhibition.