Professional associations

Under-secretariat for Foreign Trade

Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade of the Prime Ministry is the highest authority that controls and directs all issues related to export and imports. The UFT assists the government in formulation of foreign trade policy and arranges bilateral and multilateral trade and economic relations along with exports, exports promotion, imports and contracting services abroad, monitoring their implementation and promoting them.

The UFT is composed of 7 General Directorates (GD), namely: GD of Exports, GD of Imports, GD of Agreements, GD of European Union Affairs, GD of Free Zones, GD of Standardization of Foreign Trade and finally GD of Economic Research and Assessment. Besides these GDs, the UFT also has complementary institutions such as Export Promotion Centre and Exporters’ Unions. The UFT with its complementary institutions facilitates entry to the global market for Turkish producers. 

The UFT has representative organizations and representatives abroad whose task is to promote exports to the countries to which they are accredited as well as to facilitate imports from these countries. Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade has 61 operational commercial offices in 51 countries and 3 to international organizations (OECD-Paris, WTO-Geneva, EU-Brussels). 

Textiles Department is functional under General Directorates of Imports. The undersecretary for Foreign Trade provides institutional support and funding to promotional and other activities to strengthen the textile sector, including Istanbul Fashion Week and Collection Premiere Istanbul.

Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations

ITKIB is the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations. It has four associations under its umbrella

• Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association,
• Istanbul Textile and Raw Material Exporters’ Association,
• Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association and
• Istanbul Carpet Exporters’ Association.

General Secretariat of Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations (ITKIB) has been operating since 1986.

ITKIB’s main functions consist in assisting members improve their export performance, increase market share in textile, apparel, leather and carpet exports in the international markets and defend common interests of these sectors at the national and international level. 

In order to fulfil these functions, ITKIB carries out the following activities:

• Export Registration
• Trade Promotion and Development
• Economic Research and Reporting
• Consulting
• Coordination and Public Relations
• Training
• Publication

For promotion of trade and development

• Members are advised and provided support as to participating in international fairs,
• More than 30 international fairs are attended annually by members with ITKIB’s assistance,
• Trade missions abroad, foreign trade delegations to Turkey, matchmaking to facilitate interaction between Turkish and foreign businessmen,
• Import and cooperation requests of foreign companies
• Young Designers Contest is held every year to promote creativity and fashion
• EU funded “Fashion and Textile Clustering Project” to increase international competitiveness of the SME’s in textile and clothing sectors.

ITKIB is the driving force behind the organisation of Istanbul Fashion Week and the trade fair CPI, Collection Premiere Istanbul, as part of an ambitious push to turn Istanbul into a fashion hub and rebrand Turkey as a country of fashion design, and not a country textile manufacturer.

Among CPI’s objectives:

• To transform Istanbul into a meeting point loyal to Eastern roots and welcoming West's enterprise-oriented culture 
• To support the growth of Turkish textile and fashion industry by increasing its competitive power. 
• To leverage the value of Turkish brands and designers
• To support the branding movement in Turkish prêt-a-porter industry 
• To create environment for cross business opportunities 
• To increase export, find new markets and maintain the share in existing markets 
• To be a "fashion designing country" rather than "fashion producing country"

* Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association [III]*

Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD) was founded in 1976. Its objective has been to create a climate that is conducive to the development of clothing industry in Turkey promoting the sector abroad and encouraging cooperation among sector players. To date TGSD has some 400 members that occupy leadership position in the Turkish apparel industry.

The Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TGSD) is the leading professional association of the industry that works to position Istanbul and Turkish textiles internationally. Starting from 2008 it has been organising “Bridges of Fashion, Where design and production meet” Istanbul Fashion, Textile and Apparel Conference and Exhibition. In 2011, TGSD will mark its 35th anniversary with the fourth edition of the conference planned to be held in May 2011 in Istanbul.

The Fashion Designers Association of Turkey

Established in 2006 Fashion Designers Association of Turkey pursues the vision of creating a distinct Turkish fashion school of thought as a reference in world fashion. The brainchild of Bahar Korcan and six other designers FDAT today counts today some 100 designers among its members. They represent various design fields, including fashion, textile design and couture. One of the primary objectives of the association is to promote Turkish fashion and designers locally and internationally while contributing to the overall development of the fashion industry in Turkey through organization of promotional and educational events, deepening interaction between businesses and designers, conception and realisation of projects raising awareness of the value of Turkish fashion design.

Galata Moda is the signature event launched by FDAT. An alternative to luxury shopping centres still dominating retail landscape, Galata Moda is a street platform for Istanbul designers to connect directly with consumers. In this case street platform does not imply street fashion. Galata Moda features established designers selling their evening gowns next to alternative lines alongside the up-and –coming designers offering more experimental fashion. Galata Moda has been very successful in raising awareness of the local fashion talent largely contributing to “it is cool to wear Turkish designers” trend.

Compared to other countries where the fashion industry is often divided and designers do not speak in one voice, FDAT is an exceptional organisation representing and promoting the interests of all designers in Turkey