FI SPECIAL REPORT

For years this writer has been preaching that Turkey produces some of the world’s finest quality fabrics and leather. It is natural that they end up on the runways of the top fashion houses in New York, London, Barcelona, Tokyo, Milan and most noticeably Paris. For a better idea of this notion, one only has to take a look at any collection presented on the French runways by Dice Kayek.

Dice Kayek is a top fashion house created and headed by the Turkish designer affectionately known only as Egé. The fabrics and particularly the leathers used by the house are of Turkish origins. They are used by the house to make extremely refined, fresh and beautiful collections. With such house as its top representative to France and to the international fashion industry, it is no wonder that Turkish products are quickly becoming some of the world’s most sought-after materials. Because of that, I had wanted to travel to Turkey for quite some time to learn more about them. And recent International Istanbul Fashion Fair (IIFF) provided just such an occasion.

The IIFF took place from August 23rd to August 25th at the CNR Expo Center. Organised by the Istanbul Fashion Council, the CNR Ekspo Trade Fairs, Inc. and the ITKIB, this festival brings together twice a year fashion followers, designers, exporters, buyers, fashion schools and members of the international press. Exhibitions cover both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, sportswear, knitwear, kid’s wear, wedding dresses, textile accessories, swimwear, lingerie, hosiery, nightwear, etc.

This trip also provided us with the opportunity to visit with some of Turkey’s leading fashion designers such as Cemil Ipekçi and Özlem Süer, as well as the talented young designer, Ümit Ünal. These designers too privilege Turkish made textiles in their collections.

Before the 1980s, Turkey had a closed economy. By shifting toward policies to an exports oriented economy, it has lifted its domestic...

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