Fashion Prime – Textile, Ready-to-Wear Suppliers and Technologies Expo brought together the textile and ready-to-wear industry at Fuarizmir. Showcasing fabrics, garment sub-industry products and ready-to-wear collections under one roof, the expo served as a powerful business platform, generating new commercial opportunities through B2B meetings between domestic and international industry professionals.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ, Fashion Prime – Textile, Ready-to-Wear Suppliers and Technologies Expo further reinforced İzmir's position as Türkiye's leading centre for the textile and ready-to-wear industry. Bringing together every essential segment of the industry in a single venue, the expo received strong acclaim from both exhibitors and visitors.
Featuring leading manufacturers of fabrics, ready-to-wear apparel and garment sub-industry products alongside representatives of globally recognized brands, the expo is expected to make a significant contribution to the industry's export performance.
In addition to its business programme, Fashion Prime presented "From Pasture to the Runway – Felt in the Water Crisis Caused by Climate Change," a fashion show featuring designs by master felt artist Ayfer Güleç, as well as runway presentations showcasing the 2024 collections of leading fabric manufacturers, presented by renowned models. The expo also hosted exhibitions within the scope of the International Türkiye Textile Biennial, curated by writer and artist Nihat Özdal, including the exhibition "Transition Depths: Buttons."
More Than 4,000 Professional Visitors from 35 Countries
Fashion Prime welcomed a total of 4,055 professional visitors, including 3,620 domestic visitors from across Türkiye and 435 international visitors representing 35 countries across Europe, Central and Northern Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas.
One of the highlights of the expo was the B2B matchmaking programme, organized by İZFAŞ, which brought together exhibitors with textile agents representing internationally renowned brands or acting as sourcing intermediaries for companies operating in Türkiye. The meetings facilitated valuable business connections between international buyers and Turkish manufacturers, laying the foundation for numerous new commercial partnerships.
Ilıcak: "The Expo Exceeded Our Expectations"
Sadullah Ilıcak, Chairman of the Board of Ilsan Tekstil, noted that the company is among Türkiye's Top 1,000 Industrial Enterprises.
"We produce approximately 80 tonnes of value-added products every day, including yarn, woven fabrics and knitted fabrics. We are one of the largest companies in Malatya, and all of our products are manufactured to export quality standards. Around 30 per cent of our production is exported directly, 60 per cent is supplied to exporting companies, and the remaining 10 per cent serves the domestic market.
This is our first time participating in the expo. I would like to congratulate İZFAŞ on delivering an outstanding organization. We welcomed highly engaged international visitors, and the event exceeded all of our expectations. We held promising discussions with several overseas companies regarding future collaborations and also had the opportunity to reconnect with many İzmir-based companies. We regularly participate in trade fairs both in Türkiye and abroad, and from now on Fashion Prime will certainly be one of our annual events."
Yanık: "The B2B Programme Was Extremely Valuable"
Barış Yanık, Sales and Marketing Manager at Fıratteks, expressed his satisfaction with the B2B programme.
"We were very pleased with this organization coordinated by İZFAŞ. During the B2B meetings, we met with sales representatives of international brands and, through them, established connections with other companies operating in Türkiye. We held meetings with representatives of four different companies and have already taken the first steps toward future cooperation. We will continue to stay in contact with these companies whenever opportunities arise."
Ezer: "The Expo Created New Business Opportunities"
Representing Padma Tekstil, Marketing Manager Özlem Ezer explained that the company is part of a global network with offices and manufacturing facilities around the world.
"Our company has representative offices and production facilities in numerous countries, along with design offices across Europe, and we manage all of the group's operations in Türkiye. Through the B2B programme, we had productive meetings with Turkish manufacturers. We would like to thank İZFAŞ for creating these valuable networking opportunities and opening the door to new business collaborations."
Kartal: "A Remarkable Initiative by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality"
Ayşegül Kartal, Founder of World Wide Seller, emphasized the importance of the B2B programme.
"I find these B2B meetings extremely valuable. I attend this expo regularly, and I have never seen another municipality anywhere in the world providing this level of support for international business development. I sincerely thank İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZFAŞ for their contribution.
Today, we held highly productive meetings with 22 manufacturing companies. Our company helps high-quality products manufactured in Türkiye reach international wholesale and retail markets under their own brands. We manage brands and organize sales operations that empower manufacturers and designers. At the expo, we exchanged ideas with producers about building and promoting their own brands internationally. The strong interest we received clearly demonstrated the growing need for events like this."
Başkonuş: "We Expect Higher Turnover This Year"
Veli Başkonuş, General Manager of Özkonuş Tekstil, said:
"We came to the expo from Kahramanmaraş and are participating for the second time. Even after the earthquake, we resumed production following only a 20-day interruption. We manufacture knitted fabrics used in hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, tracksuits and many other products.
I see trade fairs as valuable platforms for meeting new business partners. This year we welcomed a large number of domestic and international visitors who requested samples and exchanged business cards with us. We expect stronger sales than last year and look forward to returning next year."
Kara: "We Will Return with an Even Larger Stand"
Suat Kara, Partner at Aziz Dokuma, participated in the expo with the company's Tülendam brand.
"We are a Bursa-based manufacturer producing fabrics for bridal gowns, evening wear, bindallı and kaftans. Although this was our first time exhibiting at Fashion Prime, the experience was highly productive. We reconnected with existing customers while establishing relationships with many new ones.
We prepared specifically for the expo and introduced our latest products. We concluded cooperation agreements with both domestic and international visitors and are already planning to participate next year with a larger exhibition space."